Sunday, November 18, 2007

Please sir canna I have another?

What is it with me and the bad canna jokes anyway? I guess it's because I feel like a real die hard out in the yard in November chopping down 7' tall canna plants and then digging the bulbs up to store for the winter in our basement.

It's a job, that's for sure. This year I had expanded my canna beds and had planted them in three different locations- two in the backyard and one on our parkway. Why do I mention this? Because the thing with cannas is that every year that you plant them, you get more.

If only I could make my money grow that fast. Then I could afford to pay someone to take care of this mildly backbreaking garden chore.

Seriously, they probably at least tripled in quantity this year. As I was digging them up, I just laughed with amazement at these prolific plants and the abundance of healthy bulbs I pulled from the ground. Kind of a delirious laughter if you know what I mean.

In past years, I've given some to my Mom for her yard, and some to a few co-workers. My neighbor and many other noticeably sane people don't want them "because they are too much work."

Now who else can I give them to? Do you know anyone? Who do I know that isn't afraid of hard work?

Oh, I know!! Next March, I am going to offer them up to you housebloggers. I am going to propagate my cannas all over the globe. World domination through cannas, that's the ticket.

Okay, I'm going to rest now. I have a massive turkey dinner to cook this week. Thanks for sticking with me.

p.s. 2nd coat of primer put on garage door Saturday. Two more to go before Thanksgiving. It wouldn't be so bad if we could work indoors, but the oil paint is way too stinky for that. Also, we have some red color (tanin or some stain embedded in the wood) bleeding through the primer on the door so we have to do a coat of stain blocker. Yes, stuff happens.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Last Ditch Effort

We are determined to get the new (salvaged and restored) garage door in this year. Mark my words.

I've been busy and remiss on blogging, but over the past weeks we have accomplished the following on our lovely salvage find:

Steve built a completely new door jamb with an arched header. He made it out of pressure treated lumber as it will be outside and painted.

I scraped the one layer of paint off the door, sanded it. We installed the hinges.

We hung the door inside the jamb. I am proud to say we have a completely pre-hung door that Steve made from scratch.

Steve fabricated replacement muntins for the window panes (several were missing) at the Loyola Park woodshop.

We still have to go to the locksmith and buy the lock and put it in. Then, we have to hang the door and install the locks.

All this in November! Chilly chill!

Last Saturday, Steve & I spent the whole day outdoors working on the hinges and getting the right fit with the planer etc... Our neighbors on either side were outside working too...for a few hours. Not like us cuckoos out there from 9am till 5pm. But by God, we'll get it done!