It has been awhile since I posted any thing new here, I am sure that you are all waiting to hear what adventures I have had or what major catastrophes have befallen me.
The garden is starting to kick into gear. The tomatoes and peppers are producing well. We have been picking green beans for awhile, the lettuce is done, as are the cukes. My zucchini have died back, but I still have one or 2 plants that are viable. I picked the garlic a few weeks ago, it did well, I plan on trading some with my neighbor to add a different variety to the mix. Some of the beets are huge, I normally do not let them get this big, but oh well. I planted kale and swiss chard for the 1st time, they both did well, but I have no idea what to do with them, I could use ideas. Had some excitement a few weeks ago, my mothers basement flooded , she had about 10 inches of water down there. The Fireman came and pumped it out for her, I think they saved the tile floor, but she lost a few of the antiques she had refinished. This is the 2nd or 3rd time she has had a problem down there, she re-did the French drains, she had just paid a bunch of money to have all the down spouts re-done and redirected into pipes that she ran to the road. She is about at wits end, she has lived there since 1955 and never had any problems. They have built a bunch of houses on the farm behind her and now she has major problems. I had been in the dog days of summer last week. I just laid around the house and did nothing for a couple of days. Maybe I was recuperating from vacation, or the fact that we had kept the Grandkids for a few days , what ever the reason I did nothing and it felt pretty good for a short time. Now I have gotten back to work. I decided to start cleaning the bricks I bought last spring. As you know I bought 6000 used brick from a building they tore down in town. I would guess the building was built some time in the late 1800's, maybe 1880 time frame. I could have paid $150 a 1000 for the bricks cleaned, but I chose to save the money and paid $100 per 1000 and get them uncleaned so I would simply do the work of cleaning the mortar off the bricks my self. Turns out that may have been the worst money I ever saved.
I spent a full day and 1/2 cleaning bricks and I got 150 done. I may be making about $1.25 an hour at this rate. I am of course doing a very good job of cleaning them, including wire brushing the finished brick, because I want to use them in a floor where they will be seen, but still, 150 in a day and 1/2, it will take me forever to get them done. On the other side of the coin my wife did not complain when I bought them, even though I did not consult with her about building a building, and even though she thought I was a loony person for even considering the idea, she didn't say much about the bricks. If I had paid another $300, which would have put the total price tag close to $1000 she said she might have complained. Besides, she feels I need another make work project to keep me out of trouble.
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.