In the weeds with lesmel for 2017

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In the weeds with lesmel for 2017

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1lesmel
feb 3, 2017, 9:57 pm

I think it has been a banner year! Two letters from the HOA in January alone. The first was telling me to fix my fence that was damaged. Nevermind that someone kicked in the slats. Nevermind that my dog could have run off every evening for a week. Just, fix it b/c it is ugly.

This has prompted me to have a fence company give me a quote on replacing the fence. Really, I want to repair the effed up slats; but I have a feeling any fence company is going to recommmend replacement & not repair.

The current quote is about $3.5K. There goes my plan to buy a new fridge this year. I plan on getting two more quotes if possible.

I may have to forego my plan to rip out the west bed plants in favor of having some sort of drainage installed in my backyard. We had 2-3 days of rain followed by a two-day killing freeze followed by 2-3 more days of rain. My yard was disgusting. A soupy, swampy mess of mud and fallen leaves. The rain basically sat in my yard until the clay finally absorbed it or it evaporated.

I guess I should get a quote for some landscaping work that will include some way to manage the drainage problem.

I have a feeling I am never getting my new fridge. *sighs* Maybe I will pick up a second job to help pay for the fence & yard.

2lesmel
feb 4, 2017, 9:35 pm

Oh, the disappointment! The 2nd HOA letter is just a notice that there are several representative positions available. And here I was hoping the yard o' weeds had provoked them enough. I really shouldn't have such a terrible attitude toward my HOA. Really. I shouldn't.

3Lyndatrue
feb 4, 2017, 9:44 pm

>2 lesmel: Yes, yes you should. HOAs are universally evil.

4reconditereader
feb 5, 2017, 12:43 pm

Agreed!

5lesmel
feb 26, 2017, 9:54 pm

Well. I had grand plans for repairing my fence and maybe actually doing something in the backyard this year...like landscaping and a low deck. Unfortunately, my gall bladder decided it wanted to go walkabout...or something.

It's been a week & a day since my unexpected, non-emergency cholecystectomy. I have four puncture wounds glued shut (and itching madly at odd moments), a month of activity restriction, and another week of "avoid a fatty diet" instructions. Both my cat & dog weigh more than my ten pound lifting limit...which has made things really "interesting."

My yard is a giant mess. My grass is overgrown with what I call "winter grass" and weeds. My fence still needs repair work; but it won't be full replacement. It is utterly ridiculous the quotes I got. Not to mention one company expects the money in full before the job starts.

Tomorrow, I will look at some handyman services that will do fence work & lay some stone along my fence line to discourage my dog from digging. *sighs*

Or course, this will all depend on the hospital bill. I was hospitalized Thursday @ 9pm until Sunday @ 12pm. Plus there is the ER visit & the ambulance transfer.

Odd medical factoid: when they do a laraproscipic cholecystectomy, they push a small medical bag through the main trocar, place the gall bladder in the bag, and then pull (this is an understatement of the actual action) the bag out through one of the small holes in your insufflated belly.

6lesmel
mrt 3, 2017, 9:56 pm

I really, desperately want to do backyard/garden things. Unfortunately, my post-op instructions don't allow me to do anything beyond sit on the couch and slow walks. I can't even begin to explain how ready I am to see the surgeon on Monday. I know I have two more weeks on restriction; but I am REALLY REALLY REALLY ready to be able to do what I want. And carry things heavier than 10 pounds. That would be great, too.

7lesmel
Bewerkt: mrt 28, 2017, 12:44 pm

I am off restriction...10 days now. In celebration, I committed Chinese Privet murder on two of my three criminal offenders. Unfortunately that was 9 days ago & now my yard is covered in branches that I didn't have the energy to follow through with clean up. Not to mention it was 87 degrees and about 90% humidity.

*pause to switch computers*

8lesmel
mrt 28, 2017, 1:04 pm

I keep waffling about what I want in the backyard when the CP and the Viburnum suspensum come out of the ground.
I know I want those out.
I also want to try to save the agapanthus.
I need that fence fixed.
I need dog proofing along that fence.

I guess I'll stick to what I KNOW I want and need and worry about the rest later. I'm waffling over hibiscus, citrus trees, or maybe working my way toward a patio.

As I said. First things first. Get the dadgum CP and VS out of my yard.

9fuzzi
mrt 28, 2017, 1:32 pm

Hey! I just saw this thread. Sorry to hear about your gall bladder and fence and assorted issues. My dh had his gall bladder removed that way, several years ago. He's doing fine, now, but has to watch what he eats.

I've got a ton of things that need to be done around my house, too, and no one is "handy", so we'll have to hire someone, hopefully competent and not "too" expensive.

Thread is starred. :)

10lesmel
Bewerkt: apr 5, 2017, 1:04 pm

I'm one step closer to getting my back yard privet free* and ready for fence work!

I paid my yard people to clear "some" brush from my backyard. They wanted to charge $125 which I thought was ridiculous for the amount of work they were going to do. We negotiated for $75 with haul away (which I told that wasn't required. I just needed them to trim the brush and put it on the front curb for Friday).

I came home yesterday to find the yard people had cleared ALL the brush from my backyard. Including the stuff I had been using as dog proofing. Heck, if I'd known they were going to clear that, I would have chopped up my last two bushes along the western fence! And I would have paid them the $125!

I need to do a survey of how many boards I think need to be replaced in the fence. I also need to find out if the handyman (handyperson?) service or the lawn service people will replace any of the crossbeams.

If I had the actual tools and technical know-how to do this, I'd probably do it all myself. It might take a year, but I'd do it. Granted, there's nothing super technical about using a hammer and nails (or screws and a good quality drill); but I've never done any major home improvement work. Also, I tend to hurt myself around hammers. Usually, I step back onto the claw end and slice my heel open. You'd think only one time would be enough for me to pay more attention. I refuse to mention how many times I've done this for fear of someone calling my village and telling them where to find their idiot.

* Yes, I know, I will probably never be Privet free; but I'm making an attempt!

11fuzzi
apr 5, 2017, 2:41 pm

*never ever expect to be Privet free. I think, maybe, nuclear fallout might slow down its growth some...

Whoever sells and/or plants it should be hung by their heels from a Privet "tree"...grr...

12qebo
apr 6, 2017, 3:01 pm

Well I've managed to miss all the excitement, just noticed this thread today.

>5 lesmel: My gall bladder was removed about 15 years ago, in an emergency completely out of the blue. Afterward a resident doctor, excited to witness this surgery for the first time, described it to me in detail.

13lesmel
apr 6, 2017, 4:08 pm

>12 qebo: HA! I was describing the general procedure to all my coworkers and my family. I had watched several youtube videos on laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I was most fascinated by the medical bag that is pushed down the trocar. Most. Fascinated.

14lesmel
jun 15, 2017, 10:15 am

Had 11 figs. Fig got rust. Popped off all the leaves in an attempt to save the crop. Shouldn't have even bothered. Damn birds ate every fig on the tree.

I'm going to remember netting one of these days.

Maybe one of the bastards will poop some seeds in my yard and give me a volunteer fig.

In other news, my cousin and aunt brought me two Purslane plants in hanging baskets. So far, I haven't killed them; but it's only been five days.

15fuzzi
jun 16, 2017, 6:42 pm

Sorry about the fig, I know that's frustrating.

Purslane is hard to kill, just don't over water it, it's tough.

16lesmel
jul 25, 2017, 5:13 pm

My dog nearly destroyed one of my Purslane in a hunt for tasty bulbs. *sighs* She must know how cute she is...

17lesmel
aug 28, 2017, 9:53 am

I had grand plans for the weekend...getting the July wall hanging done and a gift for my mother. Instead, Harvey rudely interrupted. I've spent two days on my bum on the couch watching all the weather coverage. My street and small section of the larger neighborhood was built at a much higher elevation. So far, so good. Even my backyard seems to be coping better than the last two major rain events. I did get some water on the patio during the absolute worst parts of the raining; but it quickly drained into the yard. I'm still worried about the water easements. The three closest to me are extremely high and the larger neighborhood does have street flooding. It would not take much to cause some flooding in the two closest sections to me.

I did venture out yesterday looking at the easements. That was sort of foolish because I never stopped to think I might be able to get out but not back in. I had to drive the long way back home and turn around twice before I could find a dry way home. About 1.5 miles from home, I rescued two black labs that were running loose. They were crazy hyper and filthy. Not to mention, big dogs are BIG. My dog is 22 pounds. These two are easily 40-50 pounds each. They also seem to have no manners or gratitude. They've tried to destroy my patio table and did destroy one of the cushions on one of my patio benches. I'm hoping to drop them off at my vet's today. *fingers crossed*

It is still raining here. In fact, it's pouring at the moment. It will probably rain until late tomorrow; possibly Wednesday. MPOW is closed today. I'm hoping they decide to close tomorrow and maybe Wednesday.

182wonderY
aug 28, 2017, 9:56 am

Please STAY SAFE!

19qebo
aug 28, 2017, 10:53 am

>17 lesmel: Thanks for reporting in.

20fuzzi
aug 28, 2017, 12:28 pm

>17 lesmel: glad you are okay.

Thanks for being inconvenienced in order to help a couple of dogs. I mean it, seriously. Not everyone would do that.

21lesmel
Bewerkt: aug 29, 2017, 7:21 pm

All is still well. I still have the labs. I'm pretty sure I'm stuck with the Labs until Thursday when the Humane Society opens.

I attempted to let the Labs have some freedom in the house. I moved everything out of the kitchen and set up some barriers to keep them on the tile. Turns out, these little buggers are smart. After two tries to get under my bar chairs, they both figured it out. Then I had to chase them both through the house. The female CRACKS ME UP. The second I touch her collar she throws herself on the ground belly up. I got smart and used my leather lead to get her back outside. Then I had to chase the male down. He's wiley. We played ring-round-the-rosy in the living room until I cornered him.

After that fun, I mopped the kitchen/breakfast area. That took at least an hour because I had to sweep, vacuum, apply the cleaner, then mop up the dirty water/debris. As it is, I ran out of cleaner just as I was finishing up.

Next was my trip to Costco. I needed dog food, cat litter, beef roast, milk (of all things), tile floor cleaner, and popsicles. I was really nervous to go out because of the wind. We have had some hard gusts. Plus there was no guarantee that Costco would be open. I had a 1 hr 45 min wait in the wind/rain. Then there was the madness to get milk on the milk/egg aisle. People were CRAZY. Some intentionally blocking the doors and aisles with carts. Some running over others. Mad. House. There wasn't any beef roast (not surprising). And I was so flustered by the crazies that I forgot the floor cleaner and popsicles.

The trip home was easy. Since then, I've been mostly parked on the couch watching the evacuations and rescues. Supposedly, we should get SUN tomorrow. The next few week will be horrid. Once the storm blows out and the sun comes out, we are going to have a ravening horde of mosquitoes. I feel awful for the people that have been displaced and those that have to clean up in the upcoming conditions.

22qebo
aug 29, 2017, 7:28 pm

>21 lesmel: horrid
Yeah. At least the dogs are providing entertainment. I bet somebody is worried about them.

24lesmel
aug 30, 2017, 9:10 pm

>23 MarthaJeanne: Thanks for that. :)

There was sun today. Like actual fiery ball in the sky, sun. For us, Harvey is over. That isn't to say there aren't more effects. There's still flooding and reservoir releases. There will be weeks and weeks and months of cleanup. Also, Harvey has now impacted Beaumont, Port Arthur, and most of Louisiana (b/c it is heading in a northeasterly direction straight across the state). Harvey seems to be crazy slow and everyone in a diagonal-ish line from Houston to Memphis will have some impact. Looking at the radar right now, it looks like the freakish outer band that nailed Houston, most of southeastern Louisiana, and a good chunk of Mississippi is now nailing Alabama. I'm not really sure though. I haven't watched TV at all today. I have reached my capacity on storm coverage.

In the Lab Saga (I totally need to trademark that), I finally got them to the vet. The male was chipped. The female either wasn't or her chip has migrated. The vet clinic called the owner. It took three calls and almost all freaking day for him to respond. *I will not judge.*I will not judge.*I will not judge.* I'm judging. So sue me.

The man doesn't seem interested in getting the dogs back. That in itself breaks my heart. It's worse that I think he actually turned these dogs out in a storm. Here's what I know based on what he said -- and I'm only posting it here because I am trying to keep it clear in my head:

Man owns dogs he adopted from rescue or shelter. (questionable)
Man has property in nearby neighborhood. (questionable)
Man's parents live on property with goats and horse and dogs. (believable)
Parents called freaked out over storm. (believable)
The water was rising. (unlikely)
Parents penned the animals and left. (questionable)

Here's why I question much of this:

Man won't give me the name of his vet.
Man wont give me address the dogs were at.
Man outright said "they {the dogs} are brats and are always disobedient."
Man never asked if they were ok.
Man never asked where I found them.
Man never seemed concerned to retrieve them.
Man grudgingly said he would call his brother to come get them; but that wouldn't happen today.

Here's what I think happened:

Man adopts two lab siblings that are half grown or full grown for his parents. Parents are "elderly" (he said 70s but age is incredibly relative, right?) and can't really handle a bonded pair of rambunctious labs. Hurricane Harvey shows up. Man tells parents to either A) let the dogs loose or B) leave them penned with a gate open.

I am about 99% sure the water never came up in the neighborhood. Maybe the parents were worried it would; but I doubt it ever did. I live just northeast of the neighborhood he said they are located.

I'm suspicious that he won't give me an address or a vet name. And I'm SUPER suspicious that he never once asked if they were ok.

I have been told I have three options here since the man is the legal owner (supposedly) of the dogs. I'm suspicious there, too. I think the parents might be the legal owners.

1. Give the dogs back (which has been my plan all along).

2. Ask if he really wants the dogs. If not, get his email address and a rescue can send him a release form. Then someone from the rescue will come get the pups.

3. Tell the man he needs to pick up the pups by X date. If he doesn't the pups go to the pound/county shelter/whatever. I need to get the intake IDs on the dogs and provide them to the rescue. The rescue will pull them after three days.

25Lyndatrue
aug 30, 2017, 9:38 pm

>24 lesmel: I just came from Flickr, where I'd seen the photos you'd taken of the labs. There's a special place in hell for people like that guy. Pity you can't check with the parents (who might actually want the dogs back, and are unaware they've been found). You really have a good heart.

26qebo
aug 30, 2017, 10:00 pm

>24 lesmel: breaks my heart
It is indeed a heartbreaking story, and rather a lot for you to have to deal with.

27MarthaJeanne
aug 31, 2017, 5:45 am

Well, I'm not a dog person. I still miss my fish, but I'm realistic about my ability to care for them now, so I don't have any. I have a standing nightmare about being widowed and having well meaning friends of my husband deciding to bring me a dog to keep me company ...

So here's an alternate scenario:
Man hears about how good dogs are supposed to be for seniors at the same time he hears dogs are available and decides to surprise his parents with dogs.

Parents say, 'We can't deal with dogs, we already have enough animals.' (And the purported health benefits would not apply anyway, as they have each other and the other animals.) (Goats! I wish I had sometime been in a position to have goats!)

Man can't give dogs back where he got them from (previous owners left the state, which is why they were available) or simply unwilling to admit that he made a major mistake so he keeps them. But he doesn't have the space for them or the time to keep their training up and they get out of hand. But he doesn't know how to get rid of them or doesn't want to admit failure. Enter Harvey, problem solved until some #{**#%}\ woman actually saves them.

My parents once adopted a well behaved large dog. Well, it had been. It's amazing how fast training goes if it's not kept up. And I visited for a week. During that time I was out every day with Red and he soon started to obey me. But not my parents, and even then my parents physically could not have kept up the level of activity you needed to do with him.

Here in Vienna I am constantly amazed by the people who feel they have to own big dogs in city apartments. And then complain that the dogs are not allowed to run free in the parks or in front of the Hofburg, or in the National Park near our house. 'But my Woofy needs to be able to really run, and he is too big for the dog area in my local park.' Then it ought to be clear that you should have bought a little Woofy and not a great big one.

28lesmel
sep 1, 2017, 12:00 am

Never underestimate the power of a librarian/amateur genealogist. We got mad skillz. I did some Facebook stalking trying to narrow down who the owner of The Labs might be. I found one likely candidate based on his phone area code, the location in the chip registry, (which I wasn't even supposed to know), and his name. I confirmed my information today about the man. He works in television in his current city.

I then took some wild leaps of deductive reasoning to narrow down where The Labs escaped from. I am about 95% sure I know where the property is based on surname, general area, land use (they have some livestock), and where I found The Labs. I drove by the property today. Looks like someone was home AND it looks like there was a horse on the property.

Then I came home and the LabSaga took a weird turn. About 3pm, I noticed my A/C wasn't making a sound. And it was hot in the house. Thinking maybe it was frozen, I shut everything off for two hours. Still no blowing air. No fan. Nada.

I called an HVAC company. Shockingly, they said they could stop by about 7. Thirty minutes later, they said they would be there in 30. Sure enough, the tech was Johnny on the spot. He worked for nearly two hours. About halfway through his visit, he said part of the problem was one of The Labs jumped on the wires between the outside A/C unit & the house causing them to short out. Which made the transformer in the inside unit go belly up. He also notice there was insulation in the blower fan. And the final problem was my fritzy thermostat (which I knew was a problem to start with).

You can bet I called that idiot owner. At no time today did the man call me. These are his dogs, right? So. what the hell?? I told him flat out he had to pick up the dogs tonight. He was as unconcerned about the dogs today as he was yesterday. He asked if his brother had called me. Uh. No.

We hung up with him promising to call me back. He didn't. He texted instead. And that's when I suggested he just release the dogs for rehomimg. He agreed that was the best solution. Now I am waiting for the rescue to send me the document.

Unfortunately, I will have to take The Labs to the Humane Society tomorrow if the form doesn't show up in the morning. I can't afford another A/C repair bill. Especially since I am sure the owner isn't going to reimburse me.

We will just have to use option 3 to get these two in a new home.

29lesmel
sep 1, 2017, 11:10 am

Ha. I scare even myself. I was dead right about the property address. Maybe I need to be a private investigator.

30lesmel
sep 1, 2017, 11:53 am

The Lab Saga is nearly over! Owner signed the forms. I've contacted the rescue volunteer. Now I'm waiting for transfer.

In the meantime, I'm plotting how to help my yard recover from the quagmire of mud and the beating it has taken with The Labs running all over it endlessly for nearly a week.

I'm also scoping out:

* fence panels for fencing off some parts of the backyard -- namely the area around the pomelo and the Western bed and for peace of mind, my outside a/c unit!

* landscaping rock

* edging stones

31lesmel
sep 3, 2017, 1:35 am

The Lab Saga has reached the end. I ended up turning them over to a totally different group that was set up 30 miles northwest of me. A friend went with me. Then I came home and scrubbed the kitchen floor for two hours. It still needs another scrubbing to clear the rest of the dirt.

32lesmel
sep 4, 2017, 10:37 am

I spent some time scrubbing the patio yesterday. Some time being the better part of two hours, I guess. I don't really know. I do know I was exhausted and hot and dripping sweat by the time I was done.

The lawn people came to mow on Saturday. Of course, I still had The Labs...and the backyard is a nightmare still. The front looks decent. Not great. I think we have had too much water at this point. I may have brown patch. I don't want to add MORE water to the yard while treating it, so I'll probably have to wait a few weeks.

In the meantime, I need to find a landscaper. I KNOW there's something wrong with the grading in my yard. One spot in the yard is still sopping wet while the rest is wet or muddy but not both.

Oh, and I still have a cold. I think I caught it the same day I rescued The Labs.

33Lyndatrue
sep 4, 2017, 11:56 am

>32 lesmel: If it isn't an underground pipe that's broken (a remote possibility), then it's likely that there's a gradual downslope that hadn't revealed itself before all the rain. I remember that you'd spoken of having problems with drainage back in February. Oh, gosh, I just read your first post in this thread (>1 lesmel:) where you say precisely that.

At least, with all the nightmares from Harvey, your HOA should be distracted with larger issues.

Have a nice cup of tea, with some lemon and honey (for your cold).

Stay well.

34MarthaJeanne
sep 4, 2017, 12:14 pm

Also, if you have thyme in the garden, use that for a herbal tea. Supposed to be great for the breathing apparatus. And if nothing else it cuts that 'yuck' taste with something fresh.

35fuzzi
sep 30, 2017, 8:29 pm

Thank you for taking care of The Labs. I don't understand people who display so little empathy and compassion.

>32 lesmel: if there's a wet spot in your yard due to runoff, consider a rain garden. You plant what does well in wet areas, and the plants keep the soil from washing away.

Here's an article about rain gardens: http://sustwatermgmt.wikia.com/wiki/Rain_Garden_Design_and_Construction

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