Fiesta

I found a whole lot of Fiestaware dishes on Craigslist, a service for 10 for $60. I already had a few of my own.

I will need to sell some of the extras.

Or do something like this...

Blotchy

This is exactly what I was afraid of. I spent hours stripping and sanding. I hesitated staining because I was unsure how it would look. It is a blotchy, swirly mess.

This is the trim in the back hall leading to the basement. I started with this trim rather than something in the middle of living area.

I can see my standing marks, there may be some residual shellac or paint left. I am so frustrated. I will address this another time.

Dog Waste Composting

A couple months ago I discontinued my curbside trash pickup and now run my own trash to the local waste management site. The price for emptying a small bin of trash was going up every few months due to gas and energy surcharges and I found myself paying close to $80 every 3 months for waste disposal. I don't generate a lot of waste. I buy very few pre-packaged items, I recycle and compost all I can. The waste management site charges $2 to dispose of a 30 gallon size bag of trash. I found that I fill a trash bag about every 3 weeks. Quite a cost savings for very minimal effort.

However, I did find out what was the source of a large amount of waste--

Yes, the Rosa dog.

I found dealing with her waste a bit more difficult. But then I came across information about pet waste composting and in the course of a weekend, put together my system. I followed the directions on cityfarmer.org (Yeah, I still don't know how to add a link in my post)

First I dug a really deep hole

I located the hole in the area where the dog does her business. It is right next to the alley, far from the vegetable garden. "Call before you dig!" It was very easy digging, though smelly-because after all I was right in the area where the dog does her business.

I dug a round hole that was 36" deep. I had only a shovel and a coffee can. A post hole digger would have been nice and my kind neighbor, Dave offered me the use of one when I was done.

I bought a nice new shiny galvanized trash can, Locally made!! Then I used a 1" drill bit to drill several holes in the bottom and sides of the can.


I threw a bunch of rocks into the hole. I was glad to be able to get rid of some various pieces from around the yard- a small area of concrete (or is it cement?) that I broke out, a few broken patio blocks and a couple broken bricks. I added the bricks and rocks to bring the height of the can up to where I wanted it to be.

I then filled in the space around the sides with more rock. Glad to find another use for the piles of landscaping rock surrounding my house. I dug this hole before I bought the garbage can and I think I did an amazing job of estimating the size.

I still have to move the excess dirt pulled from the hole. The can will be just slightly above grade- this will prevent all the rain water funneling into it. But I will grade the surrounding soil so that I can remove the cover and rake the waste right into the hole/can.

From here I just put the waste in the can, then start things composting with the use of septic tank starter and added water. The septic starter promotes natural bacterial growth. As I think about it now, it seems the water will quickly drain out of the can until there is a good amount of waste in there. I'll just see how it goes. Once it gets started it needs a bucket of water a week and packet of septic starter about 1-2 times a month. Most of the waste should turn to liquid, wash out of the container and what remains is a humus (hummus?). There is no smell, even in the warmest weather. I've read that it will take 3-5 years for the can to fill. Then it can be buried in another part of the yard and start again.

Sunday

I worked on this little piece of side yard today, it really needs to be cleaned up. I would like to enlarge the perennial garden area and but I need to put down some sort of mulch or grass right next to the alley. I have trained the dog to use this part of the yard. I used to have a row of mulberry bushes that separated the area. Now it is all out there. Not sure what to do here.

My friend Carol surprised me with these pots one day. We both have Fiestaware dishes and these pots have the same bold colors. I finally got around to putting plants in them. I usually go and get my annuals on Mother's day, but everything was on sale on Father's day.

I spent most of the day in my garage, sanding trim. This has been a three year marathon. I stripped the paint off with the Silent Paint remover, rough sanded with 80 grit, next was 120 grit. I will fill the holes and then do a final sanding. I am afraid to stain and shellac them. All the work to clear the old finish, I am reluctant to mess up a new finish. It is holding me back.