Projects

It has been more than a month since my last post, and much has happened since. I finished several of the projects on my list and I have pictures.

                                                                      Fence
The back fence, chain link, by the alley was replaced. Thanks to my brother-in-law's help, this was a two-day project.

 I did not have the money to buy the elaborate hinges, so I improvised.  Thankfully, this is the only drawing on the fence up to now.

Kitchen

Previously the kitchen had a counter/bar in the middle. With the right stools, six people could sit around. This was the only dining space. After so many years, only two stools remained and they needed replacing. My aunt was also having trouble getting up on them.  You may be able to see the area where the bar stood.

As luck would have it, the local Denny's was remodeling and selling their furniture, and I found out about it. The benches and the table top (not the base) was selling for $65. I made new bases for the benches and here is the new set-up in the kitchen. The bases will get paint when I paint the kitchen, next project.                                    

The round table did not work as I thought, because my aunt needed to put weight on it to get up. At times, the folding flap was near collapse. I got the rectangle table for $26 at the Big K. If needed, I have other folding chairs. The kitchen door was another improvement. The old door (original to the house) was a wimp, allowing all hot air in and cool air out. The red mark on the floors shows how far the counter/bar extended into the kitchen space from the wall.



Monster Agave

You will remember this picture from the first post. I was hoping that I would see it bloom and die. It was not happening. While I waited, I was having to deal with infant and adolescent plants. I got tired of waiting. I decided that the agave should die. The agave did not see it my way.  I started with the reliable "Round Up." I could hear the agave laugh. I stepped it up to concentrated Round Up. No wilting, drying or dying. I became convinced that along with cockroaches, agave plants would survive a nuclear blast.                                      

My brother-in-law suggested a mixture of a defoliant he used on the ranch, mixed with diesel. This started to do the trick. The process was so slow that the plant seemed to be resurging. I could see some sprouting at the base and the outer rizoids. I started chopping. Finally, this is the result. The base of the mother plant was more than 6 inches in diameter. The roots were not deep, but they extended far away from the mother plant.

The area from these pots to the fence will be cleared, tilled, and prepped for spring landscaping. It looks like grass but I do not recommend sitting or walking barefoot on it. This was the site of the family business, a neighborhood "grocery/stop and go." Once I have transformed the site, I will post a before and after.

Storage cabinets

Although this was not a huge project, it was time and thought intensive. I had bought these cabinets to use as a bench seat in the kitchen.  I decided against it because my aunt needed to sit back and not fall back. They were in the way here and there and at one point I almost gave them back to Habitat. I then thought of using them in the kitchen, but ultimately decided not. Here they are in the laundry/storage room serving as additional organizational space. I had to lose one of the doors for them to fit. Again, I thank my brother-in-law for helping me hang this cabinet. I cut it and prepped it, but I could not lift, hold, and drill.

Happy New Year

Joe V