Re: Home and garden projects
 

Living in a rural area, we are allowed to burn except for the period of approx. end of March to mid May. That's when the risk of wildfires is high, because the new green vegetation hasn't grown up yet. Fall, early winter, and late spring we have massive fires, burning random brush, small branches etc. I love burning Japanese knotweed, it must be full of oils that burn with explosive effect. And to start a fire, I usually cut down a spruce tree, they burn whether they are fresh or dried out.

On another topic, I belatedly discovered Jerusalem artichokes yesterday. About fifteen years ago, I planted a handful of tubers I bought in the farmers market for a dollar. We now have a good size patch of them, maybe twenty feet by twenty feet. Never dug any up till now. I dug about five pounds of tubers out of a small hole, so they are very prolific. They are delicious! Look and act like potatoes, but taste like a cross between parsnip and water chestnut...

Re: Home and garden projects
 

Jerusalem artichokes, also known as "sunchokes" (they are related to sunflowers) are delicious, like a more flavorful ;) potato - I would describe them as having a slightly nutty taste. They make a wonderful "potato" soup - just use them in a potato soup recipe instead of potatoes. :)

Re: Home and garden projects
 

And today you will have discovered the after effects of all those fruit sugars ;), so keep those windows open and no naked flames.

Re: Home and garden projects
 

I have tomatoes, peppers & herbs ready to go outside once the nights are warm enough. We will put the straw bales out and start conditioning them this weekend with a view to planting into them the first week of May, when we should be frost free. :fingerscrossed:

Re: Home and garden projects
 

Good tip! I will make a soup out of them today. Yesterday, I boiled about a pound of them, then sliced and fried them with onions and tomatoes. Then I added pasta, Parmesan and olive oil. Delicious.

:lol:

Re: Home and garden projects
 

The enlarged replacement deck is built. This gave way to more work as rain water pooled on the brick path and flood against the step to the deck. Brick path pulled up and Mrs L decided the small lawn could go as well. Two gravel paths laid, rain water soaks through so no puddles by deck. The area that was the lawn now has new top soil on and has been planted.

The sink in the downstairs half bath exploded. A rather large chip in the surface of the sink fragmented and exploded upwards. So sink removed and as we have been thinking of decorating for some time, the cabinet followed it. Followed by the toilet, tiles, lights and fan. Good job the toilet came out as we discovered it had been leaking for some time, and floor boards need to be replaced. Room repainted, new fan in, and so is the cabinet. Waiting now for the granite counter top to be cut. Have to retile and put in new toilet which is a comfort height one. Install counter top and tap. As it is only a small room it will only take a few hours of work to finish.

Re: Home and garden projects
 

That sounds like a nice project. :thumbsup: I am hoping to do something like that in our downstairs half bath later this year - tiling the floor and replacing the toilet with something a little larger as it is one of those rather twee toilets that Americans seem to love. .... Or is it just that they're cheap? :unsure:

Re: Home and garden projects
 

Or is it just that you've got a big ar$e? :scarper:

Actually, we lived with the inlaws when we first arrived, and they have those dinky little round bowl toilets. They really are not fit for purpose......

When we built our new house it was a $10 upgrade to get the elongated bowl....that wasn't a tough decision!

Re: Home and garden projects
 

I always feel like I am back at primary school when I sit on one of those. I think it is the fact that the seat is small in area and the whole apparatus is low to the ground.

The other thing that bugs me is when "restrooms" have the paper towel dispenser so high that the water runs back down (up?) your arms as you get the paper.

Re: Home and garden projects
 

That's very interesting... so is that why we keep getting wildfire alerts on our weather forecasts all this week? :huh:

I couldn't believe it when I saw the first one a few days ago. It had barely stopped bucketing rain--the ground hadn't even dried out yet!--when they were sending these big banner wildfire alerts around. They said it was mostly due to high winds. But maybe it's also lack of the moist green vegetation?....

Bizarre. I've never lived in a "dry" climate before. (And I certainly didn't realize New England could be.)

Re: Home and garden projects
 

When we did the master bath about five years ago the higher toilets were know as AARP toilets. Now I see they are referred to as "comfort height". I guess they are becoming more popular and needed a younger image. :lol:

Re: Home and garden projects
 

It really is true. Up here in the frozen north, it'd be hard to start a wildfire most of the year, it's just too green and wet most of the year except Dec thru March when everything is under several feet of ice and snow, so again, no danger of a fire. The exception is April and early May. When we were first here, I had a bonfire in mid April (in my ignorance.) I burnt out about an acre, fortunately my neighbor helped me put it out. The fire just ran through the grass and undergrowth faster than you could put it out. Very scary, I could easily have burnt my house down that time...

Re: Home and garden projects
 

Up until this year our town let people burn yard waste with a permit (was free) from the fire department, but this year they banned them outright as the town is not rural any more.

For long time residents it was an annual tradition to have the yard waste burn.

Now you have to use the yard waste service provided with trash pick up.

Re: Home and garden projects
 

Wow, that sounds like it would get the adrenaline running!

I wouldn't dream of starting a fire here, even before I noticed these latest wildfire alert warnings. Our town requires a (pricey) permit, & I'm sure they won't give any out now. Plus we have a town woodland preserve abutting half our property.

I was talking to my neighbor, who says this wildfire alert is somewhat unusual--he thinks it's because our heavy snowfall and severely cold winter temps have damaged so much foliage that the winter-burned branches & leaves are like tinder & would light up in a flash. Even though it's rained a fair amount, as soon as the rain stops, these bits are super-dry again....

Re: Home and garden projects
 

Planned activity: position straw bales in garden and start to prepare them for planting in first week of May - done :)

Unplanned activity: Lift new (October 2014) bamboo kitchen floor and remove and replace sub floor due to leak from faulty dishwasher hose. Partially done :thumbdown:

Temporary distraction: Find Mr Chipmunk in younger son's bedroom and evict him after cat brought him in :eek: - done. I hope he will survive his ordeal :( as he has been very busy collecting acorns for Mrs Chipmunk for the last week