HOME HAPPENINGS

The past couple of weeks have been busy with projects. My husband (H)  planned two rather large and somewhat expensive projects, he hoped to have completed before his August 7 birthday.

The largest project was to place a canopy or roof over our front deck which is the entrance to our home. I call it the smoking parlor as this is where H smokes. The weather is uncomfortable summer and winter.

Roof over deck;
completed in 2 days of
excessive heat and humidity.

He purchased a painted white metal insulated roof from a family owned dealer in a nearby town.

July 19 a brother and sister of the family arrived in Arkansas heat about 9 a.m. to begin mounted support structure for the roof. They had a cooler of water bottles.

These people needed more than Weight Watchers for salvation. They were each 150-200 lbs overweight by H's estimates. A third person, the father, arrived shortly thereafter. He was chunky, but by no means was he as hefty as his children.

I started shuffling through my homeowners' insurance about liability for heat stroke of workers on property. After 3 hours (noon) the sister was taken home, too hot. I breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The father/son worked until around 2 p.m. H told them to come as early as they wanted the next day. They and a walk-on employee appeared about 6:30 a.m.(no sister). The job was complete around 2 p.m.

Shelly paid them; they departed; I breathed a sigh of relief and re-filed my home-owner's policy in the safe. I nearly had a heat stroke worrying about them. I should have filed on myself!

 The result looks nice; it adds some pizazz to the house, even though it is quite simply a square white block!

Then Thursday a father/son who were enclosing a porch and building on a bedroom across street, moved over to our shed that Noah delivered in 3000 BC (estimated). This building was all that was on our lot when we bought it. I figure it may have been one of the first buildings in Bull Shoals, probably about 60-75 years old, but, that, too, is an estimate.

Concrete Block Bldg
White "sticks" construction
remnants for Monday's
garbage or other pickup

It is a very old concrete block building originally intended as a one room cabin w/single car garage. The mortar technique reminds me of sodding log cabins. The windows were framed in but had plastic over the openings as did the attic vent.

Inside, a rough concrete floor was laid for about 2/3rds of the building with just ground in the garage area. There was water and septic connections in the intended living area which also had an Asphalt Impregnated Fiber Board ceiling--no doubt an hazardous material which we have not disturbed.

There was a single door entrance with a home-made "dogie door for the water hose to exit the building from a standpipe hydrant which was plumbed to an old time washroom sink.

The garage door was two wooden home-made misfitting garage doors with a simply hasp lock which were rebuilt twice. About a year ago we installed a modern single car garage door with electric powered lift.

The roof was very old corrugated tin which remained in place for the 30 years we have lived here.

However, H decided to shingle it. All that was really needed was remove the tin, mend sheathing, add drip edge/flashing a few places, apply tar paper (roofing felt) and shingles. No vent was needed so it was a fairly simple job completed in 1-1/2 days.

Green Bell Pepper is 6.5" long
as predicted on pot label;
Orange Bell Pepper is about
2 inches. No further info
is currently  available.

Meanwhile master gardener H is harvesting his produce. The green bell pepper is 6-1/2" long; the orange bell pepper must be midget size. The two sweet peppers make a curious pair in a photo! He has plenty of small Juliette and Roma tomatoes, a few larger tomatoes and smattering of green beans-no mess yet.

As I was taking photos of these activities, I came across an interesting flower in an old flower bed. I am unsure if it is weed or something I have forgotten.

Unknown plant or weed;
leaves show are the
dominant leaf.

I appears to be a cross between mums, marigolds and/or dandelions. There are two kinds of leaves sprouting from a very dried looking stem. One leaf type reminds me of mums, but the other more dominant, plentiful leaf does not remind me of any of the flowers mentioned. The bunch in the photo are ALL attached to a seemingly dead stalk you can see at the top of one photo.

Hope some of you can help me identify.

See mixture of leaves.
The plant clump appears
to be attached to the larger
perpendicular "dead" stick but may
be a part of both two larger sticks.
The mum-like leaves are much
lower on sticks, and the dominant
leaves and flowers are at the end
of the apparent dead stems.

The entire clump of weeds and flowers

To complete the week we carried our housekeeper and a neighbor to Mt. Vernon, MO to transport a car she bought that needed repair. She is a deserving person who lives by her wits on Social Security, and whatever she can do.

She volunteers time to many charities, especially those involving animals. She organized a Volunteer Spay and Neuter Clinic in consortium with such a clinic in Izard Co. The charges are very reasonable. Her group SOLD OUT two clinics and anticipate have 4 clinics in 2011.

However, the trip was hard on H and me. We did not make it to church. But we at least helped someone worthy. As I see it all "counts."

But it seemed the trip provoked another episode of my weird high blood pressure. Thank goodness! I currently have tablets to use before I call the ambulance anymore. I am experimenting omitting some of my meds for short periods of time.

However, I have qualms about going to Springfield for three days by myself.

[Looks like Blogger In Draft is daffy again. I cannot change size of my photos more than once. Oh well, if they are interesting, hopefully y'all will be able to double click on them and get a larger view.]