Trying to Save the Planet Nearly Killed Me.

[Perchoutofwater]

Ok, it didn't really nearly kill me, but it hurt really really bad. In an attempt to be more "green" I decided I wanted to build a compost bin on the side of my house close to the woods. Before anyone starts thinking I turned into a tree hugging nut, let me just explain how much I hate bagging leaves and grass clippings and setting them out by the road. My thought was if I built this bin, I'd never have to bag the crap again. Plus I can save my septic tank from all the stuff we throw down the disposal. Anyway. I was digging the last post hole when I came along a root about 2" in diameter. Now had I been smart, and had my wife not been nagging, I'd have stopped there, and borrowed a sawz-all from the office and cut it the next day. But no, I'm a manly man, with a nagging wive, so I set after it with a pick-axe. I cut about halfway through, and go to pull up on it, using the pick-axe as a lever. I'm pulling really hard, and then all of a sudden I fell tow vertebrae slide to the left, and my back freeze up in a bent over position. My wife is standing behind me, and she swears she thought I was having a heart attack, as I pretty much grunted, groaned, and just fell over on the ground. That was Saturday. Luckily we have a high school kid that is living with us, and he and my wife were able to do most of the lifting and bending required to finish the bin while I supervised and drove a few screws I didn't have to bend over to get. It looks nice, and my wife is impressed. Today I'm going to the chiropractor and the masseuse, hopefully they will be able to work out my problems. As it is today I can barely walk. My hamstrings are about to pop they are so tight from overcompensating my back. My range of motion is almost nil. Have to do painful stretching exercises just in order to loosen up my back enough to get the range of motion to wipe my ass. As far as I'm concerned, the planet can now die, I don't care.

 

Oh, this week I am going to have someone come and look at my house to see how much it will cost me to get sprayed foam insulation at my rafters to seal the attic space. I'm also going to try to have my wife change out all the incandescent bulbs in the house to LED's where I can find the right LED"s and to CFL's where I can't find the right LED. Of course I'm not doing this to save the planet, like I said with my back hurting the way it does from my last attempt, the planet can be damned. I'm hoping this will cut down my electric bill significantly.

[Atlanta Cracker]

Oh, this week I am going to have someone come and look at my house to see how much it will cost me to get sprayed foam insulation at my rafters to seal the attic space.

 

I wouldn't seal the attic space completely!

[Perchoutofwater]

I wouldn't seal the attic space completely!

 

I won't. I'll have one exhaust fan up there creating a little bit of negative pressure, so that if I have a leaking vent pipe I don't blow the place up.

[The Irish Doggy]

It sounds like the wife nearly killed you.

[Perchoutofwater]

It sounds like the wife nearly killed you.

 

Yes, but I did get a steak and bj on Friday.

[TimC]

Would you like to donate a few hundred bucks for our cause? We're launching a rocket full of ice cubes at the sun as soon as we get enough money.

[Skippy]

Go play a round of golf. I swear the more hurt I am the better I play. Give it a whack.

[SheikYerbuti]

Go play a round of golf. I swear the more hurt I am the better I play. Give it a whack.

 

yeah, no cart.

[detlef]

I hear you. I'm moving pretty slowly from a weekend in the yard myself. We're redoing our entire front yard which included tearing out some lawn, cutting other pieces of the lawn into tiles and moving them to another part of the yard, ripping out about 25-30 old shrubs (I've got a new work out partner, it's called an 8 lb. maul), hauling 10 cubic yards of compost a wheelbarrel at a time, digging up a ton of clay to prepare an area for a new front patio and pouring a concrete slab for a cistern to water the damned thing.

 

My wife and I, along with a bit of help from a friend of hers did the the above list over the last two weekends. Next weekend we get about 50 new shrubs and perennials to plant. I think we're just driven by some sick notion of wanting the satisfaction of having done it ourselves.

[Perchoutofwater]

Would you like to donate a few hundred bucks for our cause? We're launching a rocket full of ice cubes at the sun as soon as we get enough money.

 

Let me know where to sing up.

[TimC]

I got the driveway paved last week and moved around 5 yards of topsoil to create a bedding area in front of the garage. My lower back is feeling it a bit. We're doing a nicer flower bed in front of the house (inspired by the retired neighbors across the street). It's hard work, but it's gonna look fantastic once we're done.

[Rebellab]

Feeling for you Perch. About 8 years ago, I pulled a rib out of place. That was a whole lotta hurt. Now if I am standing just right and sneeze, it comes back out. Off to the chiropractor.

 

After your treatments be sure it use lots of ice to settle those muscles back down.

[detlef]

It's hard work, but it's gonna look fantastic once we're done.

troof

[Perchoutofwater]

I hear you. I'm moving pretty slowly from a weekend in the yard myself. We're redoing our entire front yard which included tearing out some lawn, cutting other pieces of the lawn into tiles and moving them to another part of the yard, ripping out about 25-30 old shrubs (I've got a new work out partner, it's called an 8 lb. maul), hauling 10 cubic yards of compost a wheelbarrel at a time, digging up a ton of clay to prepare an area for a new front patio and pouring a concrete slab for a cistern to water the damned thing.

 

My wife and I, along with a bit of help from a friend of hers did the the above list over the last two weekends. Next weekend we get about 50 new shrubs and perennials to plant. I think we're just driven by some sick notion of wanting the satisfaction of having done it ourselves.

 

I know what you mean. Last fall I put in another planting bed myself. It only took me a day to do by myself, but still it was a lot of work. I was an idiot with this compost bin. On things like his I usually wait until we have a superintendent that is out of work, and bring him and a laborer out to do it. Fortunately the business is booming so I didn't have a super out of work, and I needed to get the leaves off the lawn. Plus I wanted my wife and kids to see that I actually know how to build crap, and not just push a pencil and pound a keyboard. What I've learned is I've spent way too much time pushing pencils and pounding keyboard, and am way out of shape and not as young as I used to be.

 

A few other things I learned:

 

1. Next time rather than using manual post hole diggers, I'm getting an auger out to the house. I have one at the office, but figured for 8 holes I'd just do it manually.

 

2. Steal a sawz-all from the equipment room. I should have one out at the house anyway, and it would have saved my back.

 

3. Mixing concrete in a wheel barrow is a pain in the ass. Next time I'm going to hook the mortar mixer up to the truck and pull it out, I don't care if it is just 8 sacks.

 

4. I'm glad most of the buildings we build are metal studs and structural steel. You can not find lumber of sheet goods that aren't warped.

 

5. Next time I do something like this, do I'm going to do all the measurements my self. My wife is not allowed to touch a tape measure ever again. For that matter, I love the woman, but my next project will be done while she is out of town. I spent almost as much time explaining to her why I did something a certain way as I did actually doing it.

 

7. Next time I have to paint using an oil based paint, have some mineral spirits on hand. I thought I did. Gas did a fine job, my hands still smell like gas today.

[Randall]

Yes, but I did get a steak and bj on Friday.

 

 

Some things should not be known.

[detlef]

I love the woman, but my next project will be done while she is out of town. I spent almost as much time explaining to her why I did something a certain way as I did actually doing it.

Dude, freaking tell me about it.

[Duchess Jack]

Luckily we have a high school kid that is living with us

 

Yes, but I did get a steak and bj on Friday.

 

Some things should not be known.

 

wurd

[yo mama]

I've lost count of the number of times I've said, "Thank you, Sawz-all." I love that tool so much.

[AtomicCEO]

I threw out my back putting my pants on a few weeks ago.

 

So, I decided. No more pants.

[Caveman_Nick]

And after all that, here I am to tell you that grass really doesn't compost well. It becomes slimy and kind of ruins the rest of what you are composting (EDIT: if there is too much grass in the mix). Plus it takes a long time. Read below...

 

Compost the rest. Drag the grass into the woods if you can and leave it to compost in the open air for a few years. Or.....drag it to the curb.

 

Or:

 

What Can Be Composted?

 

Many organic materials can be composted besides grass and leaves: nonwoody shrub trimmings or twigs less than ¼ inch in diameter, faded flowers, weeds, leftover plants at the end of the gardening season, lake plants, straw, coffee grounds, eggshells, fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded newspaper (black and white print), small amounts of wood ash, and sawdust. Sawdust requires the addition of extra nitrogen; wood ash raises compost alkalinity and may result in nitrogen loss from the pile.

 

There should be little need to compost grass, since clippings may be safely left on the lawn if you mow regularly and remove only 1/3 of the blade length each time. If you do compost grass, mix it with other yard waste. Grass clippings, alone, pack down and restrict airflow which limits the availability of oxygen that is needed for decomposition.

 

Some things should NOT be composted. Pet feces can transmit diseases. Meat, bones, grease, whole eggs, and dairy products attract rodents and other animals. Badly diseased or insect-infested plants and weeds that are loaded with seed may not heat up enough to be rendered harmless.

 

Here

Edited March 17, 2008 by Caveman_Nick

[yo mama]

And after all that, here I am to tell you that grass really doesn't compost well. It becomes slimy and kind of ruins the rest of what you are composting (EDIT: if there is too much grass in the mix). Plus it takes a long time. Read below...

 

Compost the rest. Drag the grass into the woods if you can and leave it to compost in the open air for a few years. Or.....drag it to the curb.

 

Or:

Here

Yeah, I stopped bagging the clippings long ago. My (now deceased ) German neighbor back in H-town turned me on the the idea of just leaving the clippings on the lawn to act as mulch. He was an old farmer, so I figured he knew more about that stuff that me. It really seemed to help the lawn die more slowly during the brutally hot summer months; used less water, too. The trick was just to mow every two to three weeks, so that the clippings weren't so substantial as to smother the lawn.

Edited March 17, 2008 by yo mama

[Caveman_Nick]

Yeah, I stopped bagging the clippings long ago. My (now deceased ) German neighbor back in H-town turned me on the the idea of just leaving the clippings on the lawn to act as mulch. He was an old farmer, so I figured he knew more about that stuff that me. It really seemed to help the lawn die more slowly during the brutally hot summer months; used less water, too. The trick was just to mow every two to three weeks, so that the clippings weren't so substantial as to smother the lawn.

 

Landscapie people can probably say more about this than I can, but they call he payer the dead grass creates "thatch". Many people are under the mistaken impression that thatch is bad. It's not a bad idea to give grass a thatch raking once in spring, but generally speaking it's not a bad thing. THe problem is that you really have to mow on a regular schedule for the lawn to be able to deal with the left behind clippings.

[T-Scorp]

I hear you. I'm moving pretty slowly from a weekend in the yard myself. We're redoing our entire front yard which included tearing out some lawn, cutting other pieces of the lawn into tiles and moving them to another part of the yard, ripping out about 25-30 old shrubs (I've got a new work out partner, it's called an 8 lb. maul), hauling 10 cubic yards of compost a wheelbarrel at a time, digging up a ton of clay to prepare an area for a new front patio and pouring a concrete slab for a cistern to water the damned thing.

 

My wife and I, along with a bit of help from a friend of hers did the the above list over the last two weekends. Next weekend we get about 50 new shrubs and perennials to plant. I think we're just driven by some sick notion of wanting the satisfaction of having done it ourselves.

 

 

Wow I still hve about a foot of snow on my lawn!!! NO yard work for at least a month or so

[Footballjoe]

Next time hire Whomper.

 

I am seriously thinking of starting a very small side gig this spring. I was talking to a woman whose kid goes to school with my daughter and we got on the subject of Gardens. She wants a vegetable Garden but didnt know how to get one started and didnt really want to start from scratch. Then it dawned on me. Why dont I start up a little side project of setting up peoples gardens ? I know the garden purist wouldnt even think of letting someone else set them up but people that like the idea of a garden but dont have the energy/ time/ Know how on setting one up might like the idea of someone doing it for them. They would show me the spot and dimensions and I would Till, buy all the soil, lay the soil , set the stakes and chicken wire to keep out the animals, plant (if they want me too) and put the cones up. I have never had my own business. I know a few of you do. Some on a bigger scale then others. My question is. How much do you think I should mark up the supplies and what would you think is a fair rate for the complete job aside from what I tack on to the supplies ? Also for the huddle Gardeners anything you would like to add I would appreciate (tips, possible pitfalls etc ) Thanks in advance all.

[Puddy]

Are the frankfurters still okay?