Another Top 10 Day here at the Aerie. 'Twas 35 or so at day break with a breeze out of the north-northwest but the sun shone and the sky was clear. Got up to 67 this afternoon. I'd take days like this for half the year. I confess to enjoying the occasional snowfall or even the rain. It's those damn 90 degree days that do me in--especially if it's humid to boot.
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Terry and I loaded up the Jeep Compass with the bundled magazines and drove over the hill to the recycling center/landfill. It's nice to have made a (small) dent in the crap we have in the basement. Next up is to see what I can discard from the computer software/hardware.
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Back at the Aerie, I took advantage of the nice weather to take a walk around the lawn with two Craftsman friends, Mr. Briggs and Mr. Stratton. They were eager to get out of the garage and joined me after just one pull on their starter cord. We managed to mulch up quite a few of the leaves that had blown in since I raked a few weeks ago and reduced the height of the grass blades to a uniform and even dimension. Sadly, we were unable to remove the flowers form the multitude of dandelions growing rampant upon the greensward. Those bright yellow flowers have been trained to keep their heads down low and, except for a few foolhardy enough to attempt an uprising, remained unscathed. I'd break out the chemical weapons but that might yield too much collateral damage. Even now, those spots where I waged war upon the spiny thistles with Roundup are a blight upon the lawn that will require some remedial attention.
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None of the above was what I wanted to do today. I had wanted to get up on the hill with the ATV and chainsaw to get more firewood in before the turkey season starts on Saturday. I got sidetracked but it had to get done. Since tomorrow looks to be a repeat of today, I'll be spending time prepping the deck with a deck wash to remove mildew and soil so I can apply a coat of sealant/waterproofer/stain.
The first trick will be to pry all the sunflower seed shells from between the deck boards. That'll require some work with a thin blade or a simple nail-on-a-stick to get between the boards. And that can only be done while kneeling down and progressing one laborous foot at a time.
Then I'll be able to spray on the deck wash, let it sit for a spell and then rinse it off. That part sounds easy enough--especially since it can all be done while standing up.
Once it's been cleaned and allowed to dry, it will be time to apply the protecting coat. The weather is supposed to hold through Saturday and even get warmer (highs Saturday in the 80s) with just a 40% chance of thunderstorms developing so I plan on doing the application of sealant/waterproofer/stain after our morning bird walk and lunch unless the weather quacks change the forecast and say it will be more than 50% chance of precipitation.
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It rained a boat load on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, right? Well, we are already in a Red Flag Warning in so far as burning is concerned. The sun and winds have dried things out so much that there's a serious risk of wildfires. When there are no leaves on half the trees, the sun can really dry out the understory. That's when the greatest danger of fires occurs. Sure, lightening does start some in the middle of the summer, especially out in the mountain west, but here in the east, spring is fire season. Another good reason to stay out out of the woods, hold off on burning brush and trash, and pay close attention to your smokes. Like old Smokey says, "Only you can prevent forest fires." And he's right--most of the time, although Mother Nature (or Gaia, if you wish) starts her fair share as well.
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