Friday, September 1, 2023

Up and Down the Stairs.......


 

Fifteen steps up to the deck.  Our house is built on an Iowa farm hill which probably was enhanced to be higher to make it work for walkout basements.  Our main floor is two steps up from the ground from the front.  We go down the hill outside to get to the basement walkout door.  The counting of the steps and multiplying seven  inches gives me a difference of 8.75 feet.  It makes me understand that my backyard is a full floor level to the top of the house.  This awareness happens because I am painting waterseal on my steps.  I now understand why I don't like walking down my hill to mow it and I also am glad I fixed up my steps on the north end of my house to use to get from the front to the back. 


The fake Canadian geese do like hanging out on the stairs while I mow the yard.  When I leave them there and am at the top of the stairs looking down they still startle me even though they are fake. 


 

My neighbor's pine tree is putting out many acorns.  It does it every season. I don't really know the variety but it always seems bulked up with the cones. My blue spruce does have a few this year like that but maybe only a couple of dozen. 



I had to get a flat board today to pry back the rose from the side of the stairs so I could paint the waterseal onto the side of the stairs.  The different colors of buds makes it fun to see so many different colors. I finished up my wood treatment program for this year.  Everything got one good coat.  I liked how the can said do not apply a second coat.  I liked that as that means a lot of less work for me.  I had to use a step ladder this morning to get to some parts of the upper story deck. It took more time getting out the ladder and moving it around that it did just brushing on the material. 



The one planting of sedum has started to change color.  I guess it really is getting to be close to fall.


We are going back to high heat again for the next few days.  It is 87° F. right now and the days are going to get hotter in the future. I had to run the fireplace this morning to warm the house as it was cool this morning. 

Our drought has now been declared to have lasted three years.  The rains a couple of months didn't catch us up much and we aren't really going to get more for a long time.  My grass has gone back to being dormant and I guess I don't have to mow for quit some time.  I had spot mowed last week and that areas of green are now dormant.  It is what it is.  Thanks for checking in today.

1 comment:

Val Ewing said...

I spot mowed also which was grass that grew where I watered my gardens. I'm just about ready to give up on the flowers as soon as the Zinnias and other flowers begin to fade and put out seeds for me to gather.

I imagine you will be hot again this holiday weekend!

Stay cool!