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| An iris start from a friend last year--this year it's offering lovely blooms. The chicken wire isn't so pretty, but it does keep the dogs out of the flowerbed. |
None of those things happened, because there was something we've been needing to do, and today we decided to get on with it: cleaning out the root cellar. It was a jumbled mess, which seems to always be the case in the spring. Totes and bags of empty jars, odds and ends of garden tools, flowerpots and such, and the one thing that we really needed to clean up: a pile of floor tiles of various sizes, shapes and colors. They ended up in the cellar because.....I have no idea why, but there they were in mouldering, mildew-y boxes.
We bought the tile some years ago at ReStore for dead cheap, and have used it to tile the bathroom and entryway and recently to replace the kitchen counter. But there was so much left! So out it came, to be cleaned up and re-boxed to take to a Facebook friend who does online sales.
All of this cleaning up had an ulterior motive. We needed to get the huge potato bin out of there so we can build more shelves. At one time, when they boys were home, that bin would be full every fall, but now we do not need anything like that many potatoes.The bin takes up a lot of space, and I need more shelving for my canning, and to have a place to store empty jars.
It was messy, dirty work, with plenty of cobwebs, but after a few hours of work, we're ready to take the bin out. Then we'll have to brave the lumber store, which is kinda scarier than the cobwebs these days. In the end, though, the cellar will be much more suited to our lives today. My shower after we stopped work felt absolutely luscious!
This is another of those long-delayed projects we're getting to because we're home more. It's the upside of the pandemic, I suppose, this having time for things we've wanted to do but never got around to.
I picked a few roses this evening--this is an old-fashioned rose I brought back from an old farm in Virginia as a small twig with a bit of root some 35 years ago, I guess. I have no idea of its name, but it has the sweetest scent. The brownish flower is an iris that the dogs broke off a plant along the sidewalk.
A nice, perfume-y way to end a kinda stinky day.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
I do think those big and/or dirty jobs are a little easier to approach when there's two of you. I'm missing my Occasional Helper quite a lot these days, as this time of year there's always a list of jobs that have to get done in order to do the next thing, and unfortunately the job that starts the list is something darned near impossible to so on my own. Well, I can only do try and do my best. These are certainly not the times to try to find someone new to help me on a short-term basis.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a big job tackled. Good for you! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you're having such high humidity before we are. We've barely turned our as on more than a time or two here in Arkansas. Usually it's running 25/7 by now. I have so enjoyed being able to hear the birds with the windows wide open & no noisy fans running.
ReplyDeleteYour day fun certainly turned into a day of work! We have so many big jobs like this that need to be done. We aren't finding free time though. My husband is still working, mostly from home but he had to teach an employee training class last week & has new employee orientation this week. Life is going on at work but they have taken every precaution they can & are trying to social distance. They had one employee test positive for Covid19 in early March but none since. So we think the measures they've taken are working.
I am keeping my grandson full time, I may have mentioned that...so no extra energy for big jobs from me!My garden is looking fabulous though because the little boy wants to be outside all the time. So while he plays I work or piddle.
Those kind of jobs always make you feel so glad you tackled them even if they are hard and yucky : )
ReplyDeleteI tackled my junk drawers the other day--not cobwebby or dusty but time consuming. It does feel good when the job gets done, though. I hope you get to read that book soon. It'll take you back to Cornwall and our trip last August.
ReplyDeleteIt is always so satisfying to get a big job done and behind you! I live your story about the rose bush. I am going to slow down driving the back roads. There are so many deserted farmsteads and I bet I can find me some rose starts. Thanks for the tip!
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