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The Adventures Of IndeMoJo: When August Comes Around

  • Saturday / November 26, 2022
The Adventures Of IndeMoJo: When August Comes Around 1

The Adventures Of IndeMoJo: When August Comes Around

I started a post about a month ago trying to gather all my Facebook posts into one blog post. It’s an insane amount of work trying to reproduce those posts in a WordPress blog format. Lots of heavy CSS & HTML vudu to create MY version of what was posted to FB.

I spent so much time working on the house, the only time to document this was on breaks as i was trying to rest and or cool down. Hence—Instagram posts, with auto posts to Facebook. Seems Facebook became my way to document all my doings. There have been A LOT of posts from May 18 (when I closed on the house) to now!

What I am doing here, is breaking my larger Facebook “bulk dump” into a few posts rather than ONE HUGE one.

Sometimes it still seems sureal I’m here—living in Missouri. I’m a NJ boy-man-child; born & raised! But here I am—none the less. And even though it seems incredulous, I actually love my new home and all the things I’ve already accomplished here. There have been a massive amount of “#joProjects” posted to Instagram & Facebook. And some I’ve gathered together in a previous post.

Since buying my home in Independence, MO, I have been working on fixing the place up—on my own—and with the help of “professionals” for jobs I did not have the skill set for. Always good to know (and set) your limits.

Waking up 6-ish every morning, being out in the yard working on the next joProject before the temps hit 90º plus, was how my life had been all summer long. Being retired … not much else to do … except turning this 112 year old house into my home. And so here we go ….

These Are The Adventures Of IndeMoJo:

August 3, 2022 @ 3:55 PM
joProjects: Washer/Dryer Hookup

OMG!!!!!! I finally have a working washer & dryer! Getting it set up cost me as much as the unit. Ouch!

First load done & in the dryer. Second load starting now. I’m amazed at how quiet it is & even at high velocity spin dry the washer doesn’t shake a millimeter! Damn! I was so afraid it would vibrate the 112 year old floors. Guess the new main floor beam helps with that too. 👍

LG color me impressed! Love tech in all forms. And it so shiny, pretty & new! The funny/scary thing: the unit has WiFi. I can download the LG app & control the washer & dryer from my phone. Awesome!!! lol 🤩🤩

Washer/Dryer Hookup

Frank Bellina: Physics!

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August 3, 2022, 4:33 PM

Frank Bellina: Something Something Angular Momentum.

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August 3, 2022, 4:50 PM

Tom Qunlavin: Where’s the clothesline and wash tub. I thought you becoming Amish.🤣

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August 3, 2022, 5:13 PM

Brenda Siegelman: Yay!

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August 3, 2022, 6:23 PM

August 11, 2022 @ 9:48 AM
joProjects: Plants & Birds & Things

New Home Projects: Found a video on Instagram that showed how to root rose bush clippings using honey as a root stimulator. I’ve done 5 cuttings. We’ll see how they work.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

The other project is enlarging the flowerbed plantings on “The Hill”. I have a combo of Russian Sage, “Baby Joe” Pye weed, and “Buzz Magenta” Butterfly Bush. Need to keep those pollinators happy! Already attracts butterflies & bees even before planting. Plus the single white hydrangea was kind of lonely and in need of company.

🌸🌺🌼🌻🌼🌺🌸

Saw a lone hummingbird flit by my front porch, which made me put up my hummingbird feeders & take down the bird seed feeders. Yeah, paying $100 for two 40 lb bags of no waste seed is kind of out of my budget. But a 5 lb bag of sugar … I can handle. And it’s also so cool to see hummingbirds making pit stops at the 2 feeders.👍

#flowers #joepyeweed #russiansage #butterflybush #butterfly #bees #polinators #roses #rooting #honey #projects #birdseed #hummingbirdfeeder

Plants & Birds & Things

Regina Galluscio: You might want to experiment with those cuttings.

Cut some of the foliage off so the rootless plant doesn’t have to support that amount of foliage.

A story has been passed down in my family of how five 30-year-old climbing rose bushes got their start.

Great! Aunt took stick cuttings and at the bottom made a split and put a lentil in there then planted them.

No one knows if anything else was done in the process, but that lentil gets spoken about as being the magic.

I’m not sure if I enclosed it in a Ziploc, But I do know keeping it in full shade was important.

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August 11, 2022, 11:17 AM

Charlie Maraia: Worm casings
August 11, 2022, 7:56 PM

Brenda Siegelman: I can send you some wildflower seeds ( all bee and butterfly friendly ) , and Iris from my garden this fall . I will have sweet william , blackeyed susan, glorioso daisy , milkweed , and red clover , dried and ready to send out by october .

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August 11, 2022, 11:17 AM

Joe Streno: Would love that! Thanks!

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August 11, 2022, 8:11 PM

Brenda Siegelman: Cool ! This is basically how I got all my favorite plants . Friends gave me seeds and cuttings . These perennial or self seeding annuals require almost no care , they are wildflowers ! X

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August 11, 2022, 8:14 PM

Alicia Weisbrot: Waiting for the “Joe Show” on YouTube for all these marvelous, masterful projects. Particularly on plantings (love the butterfly bush) and birds (big hummingbird fan)!! Also, of course, ALL the house DIY projects!! Inspiring!! Thanks for sharing!!! 😘
August 14, 2022, 11:25 AM

Joe Streno: Thanks, Alicia! I barely have the energy it takes to do the actual projects, never mind having to document, edit, & post them to YouTube! lol Photos will have to do. Plus with the way this 90º+ summer has been going I only have a few hours each morning before it gets TOO hot to do anything, including just cutting the lawn, or just watering the plants. There are so many MORE things I had planned but old age, my chronic fatigue, cash flow, & heat just got int the way. Hopefully come fall I’ll be able to do more to prep for spring. Stay tuned to joTV … or at least to other Insta & FB project posts. Hope you are well!
August 14, 2022, 11:40 AM

Alicia Weisbrot: I will stay tuned! I genuinely am in awe with all you have done. Those 65 yo+ obstacles get us every time. Looking forward to fall along with you! I’m doing well, NJ humidity notwithstanding!!

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August 14, 2022, 12:11 AM

August 15, 2022 @ 3:27 PM
joProjects: SpinBin
#joProjects: Today’s project was assembling and filling my new SpinBin 60 gal composting barrel.

Can I just say: AWESOMENESS!!!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The barrel came in 4 sections that I had to bolt together. One lower half, then an interior stationary “mixing bar” and the top half over that. When done … one barrel. Then assemble the legs, attach, and we’re ready to load it.

Loaded it with greens, browns, dried twigs, a little cardboard, coffee grounds, watermelon rinds, and assorted veggie trimmings …. and then … I’ll tumble for ya!

Round and round it goes. Add a little moisture & tumble some more.

What an ingenious idea! 💡

Start your compost engines! 👍😃👍

#SpinBin #compost #compostbin #composting #compostable #spinarama #wateringcan

joProjects: SpinBin

Charlie Maraia: I love mine. Did you get a rain barrel yet?
August 16, 2022, 3:58 PM

Joe Streno: Charlie … waiting on new gutters & have rain barrels installed then.

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August 16, 2022, 4:21 PM

August 17, 2022 @ 5:34 PM
Calluses? What calluses!
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Jeffrey Kaufman: Awesome 👍 Sounds like a good relaxing evening.

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August 18, 2022, 4:07 AM

August 19, 2022 @ 5:36 PM
IndeMO Hummingbirds
adventures 013Not the greatest photo … but… you get the idea.

It amazes me how many hummingbirds are fighting over a turn at the feeder. I’m also amazed at how many are around … period. Though they seem smaller than the hummingbirds in Seattle. Unless they are adolescents. Didn’t card them before service. 😆

Pretty wild … these guys will buzz up to me just feet away, to check me out when I’m sitting on the front porch, or if I’m washing dishes, they buzz up to the screen of the kitchen window. Pretty fearless little buggers! 👍😃👍
 

Ken Wiener: Feed the hummers! O yea.

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August 19, 2022 @ 5:48 PM

Karen Bennett: Hang a few feeders!

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August 19, 2022 @ 5:49 PM

Joe Streno: I have two already. One in front one on the side of the house. They still are very territorial little buggers! lol Didn’t know they were that aggressive.
And yup … Just found out the males are VERY territorial when it comes to feeding and a found food source. The things you learn from Google.😂
August 19, 2022 @ 6:40 PM

August 21, 2022 @ 1:26 PM
joProjects: Sifting & Planting

#joProjects: Fabricated a new dirt sifter this morning. Went to Lowe’s bought the 2x4s the 1/4″ welded mesh & took care of business. Good thing I like doing things like this! lol

All this because I’m trying a new way to plant using the fine sifted clay soil with compost, rather than buying topsoil & mixing it with other soil additives. Figured I’d try it on the 7 pots of mums I bought.

I bought the yellow mums in memory of my mum. She loved them, as did the butterflies back in Lanoka Harbor, NJ.
Had to make sure the hill was completely done before Wednesday. I’ll be getting FIFTEEN cubic yards of mulch delivered at 8:00 AM. That will be lots of fun spreading in my flowerbeds 3″ deep! 🥵

Just another day at home. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#garden #gardening #gardeninglife #joHome #mulch #compost #lotofun #spreadthemulch #dirt #soil #soilsifter #dirtsifter #sifter

joProjects: Sifting & Planting

 

Tom Quinlavin: Impressive 🧑🏻‍🌾

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August 21, 2022 @ 1:26 PM

August 23, 2022 @ 11:12 AM
Community Action Agency

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#FileUnder: How Awesome Is This!?!?!?!

Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City just came out to do a complete & FREE energy audit on my home. They will be lining up contractors to seal up all air leaks in the house, insulate the roof crawl space, the floor rafters in the basement, wrap insulate all HVAC pipes & ducts, clean both my hot water heater & my HVAC system, plus a whole lot more! Wow!

They will also insulate all my uninsulated house walls—for FREE! All I have to do is have an electrician come out and certify in writing that all knob & tube wiring in the walls is not active. Of course I already called my electrician to make an appointment to do this.

I am totally FLOORED (no pun intended) that there is an organization like this to help MO citizens—especially seniors— who meet the income (or lack there of) requirements, and do all this work for FREE!

I applied maybe a week ago, got a call within a day to verify some info, was okayed, and a team of 3 men came and did their thing at 9:00 AM this morning! That’s fast!

So incredibly awesome & thank you CAA!!!!!

https://caagkc.org

Tom Quinlavin: Ha ha, senior 🤣
August 23, 2022 @ 3:59 PM

Joe Streno: Right? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

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August 23, 2022 @ 5:38 PM

Brenda Siegelman: You earned the respect for all these years , you deserve a few breaks .

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August 23, 2022 @ 7:05 PM

Joe Streno: Brendan… Amen to that! Thanks! Plus the house inspector also gave me more local organizations where I may also be able to get other needed work done on the house for free. 👍 Certainly worth a look. The insulation work alone will save me thousands of dollars & help lower my heating & AC bills! Seems almost surreal. But I’ll take all anyone is offering & be incredibly humble & grateful.

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August 23, 2022 @ 10:00 PM

Brenda Siegelman: This is also a direct result of the green dollars we fought for. All the workers will be getting a fair wage , less energy will be used , and your house will feel even more solid . These programs are now well funded . X

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August 23, 2022 @ 10:16 PM

Brenda Siegelman: Wait till the rebates for solar & batteries come in 23. This is really great stuff . We will keep you informed , if you like .

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August 23, 2022 @ 10:17 PM

Chris Gibson: That’s awesome
August 23, 2022 @ 8:26 PM

August 28, 2022 @ 8:13 AM
Coffe & Rain

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So the first thing I did at 7:00 AM (of course only after starting coffee brewing) while there was a lull in the rain: went out to spread tall fescue grass seed on the patches of lawn where I was trying to fill in large divots and pot holes. I had used all the “fines” I got from sifting the old mulch to fill in and spread on large areas. Figured it was a good use on top of the nasty clay soil to give the grass seed a fighting chance. Then spread a thin layer of peat moss on top of the seed. And right on cue … the rain started up again. Most excellent!👍😃👍

August 28, 2022 @ 4:42 PM
New Shower Doors
#joProjects: Shower Door Install

Um …. they said it would only take an hour. Yeah. Right. 😝
Sometimes I just outright amaze myself at all the things I’ve done and am capable of, fixing up my home. A Joe of all trades. For sure!

I had my doubts about doing this project. The paper instructions were pretty worthless. But found an install video on YouTube for the model I bought. Still more than hour. More like six. But hey … not much else to do on a rainy day. 👍
Also good thing I paid a bit more and got a door that’s made for “not plumb” openings. By the standards of this house … that’s the norm.

All in all it looks good. Me likey!

Have to wait 24 hours for the silicone caulk to set. But that’s okay … I’m not so stinky right now. 😝

The cats are upset they can’t lay inside the shower like they always do. With my luck … they’d paw at the silicone. So better safe than sorry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#joProject #bathroom #showerdoors #thecatshelped #homeimprovement

New Shower Doors

Joe Streno: That’s awesome
August 29, 2022 @ 4:33 PM

August 30, 2022 @ 8:13 AM
IndeMo Morning

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Woke up. It was an Inde morning & the first thing that I saw … ❤️❤️❤️❤️
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.
#joPhoto #Independence #mo #missouri #missourioutdoors

Samantha Henneke: Lovely!

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August 30, 2022 @ 8:59 AM

Joe Streno: Thanks, Samantha. I was just out working in the yard 7:00 AM-ish looked up and saw the sun coming through the trees & the fog. Whipped out my iPhone & this is what I got.

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August 30, 2022 @ 9:20 AM

Jeffrey Kaufman: Wow! That’s awesome!

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August 30, 2022 @ 1:18 PM

August 30, 2022 @ 6:04 PM
The Art Of Gardening
The Art Of Gardening: Sometimes in the middle of cutting the lawn, taking a break, drinking cold cold water, the muse hits. And these photos were part of the result. Even dirt filled scratches on sunlit translucent orange wheelbarrow walls look painterly. I was just having fun & not trying to overthink the moment. Hope you like.
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#garden #gardening #lawn #wheelbarrow #butisitart #joPhoto

The Art Of Gardening

Roberta Baumann: 😊 fun

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August 30, 2022 @ 6:57 PM


August 31, 2022 @ 9:26 AM
New Doors x 4
adventures 28 

Joe Streno: Things are moving right along. Though there’s a problem with one of the doors the installer was picking up from Lowe’s. The frame had cracks in it. Grrrrrrrrr.

He’s now seeing if there is another door in stock to replace the damaged one.

Luckily there was another. He just called me & they are on their way! Yippee!!!

August 31, 2022 @ 9:42 AM

August 31, 2022 @ 6:28 PM
New Doors Before & After
#joProjects: It’s D-day: as in new door day! Four new doors: 2 full glass screen doors with roll down screens. The cats already loved these type doors at my mom’s. Easy for them to bird, people & train watch while lounging in the sun—when there is sun.

Plus 2 insulated fiberglass doors. One nine pane (back door) one six pane (front door). The old front door was solid, now I can see who’s at the door & get a bit more light into the entrance & living room. 👍

Have to decide if I’ll paint the front door or not. I was kind of thinking orange like the mailbox trim. Or gray outside and orange inner panels. But that’s far down on the list of things to accomplish or even fret about.

Right now, I’m happy with the look of the doors—especially the new screen doors. Plus I can finally get cross ventilation with both screens open. Screens are on the top which is kitty proof & the kitties can still see out the bottom. Awesome!

#houseprojects #projects #doors #stormdoors #before #after

New Doors Before & After

Susan Fleischmann Farbstein: Take a picture of the front of your house with the new door!

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August 31, 2022 @ 6:53 PM

Joe Streno: Thanks, Samantha. I was just out working in the yard 7:00 AM-ish looked up and saw the sun coming through the trees & the fog. Whipped out my iPhone & this is what I got

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August 31, 2022 @ 6:56 PM

Chrs Gibson: Very nice!
August 31, 2022 @ 6:54 PM

Joe Streno: Chris … thanks! The furballs already love the new kitty level storm door windows. 😻😻😻

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August 31, 2022 @ 6:58 PM

Brenda Siegelman: This is purrfect .x

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August 31, 2022 @ 6:54 PM
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Joe Streno

artist . musician . photographer . retired apple computer consultant . residing on planet earth with his two cats rudie, & rocco & living to tell tales about it

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