Edible Architecture

This post is a worthy diversion from our meadow projects because it celebrates old traditions and gives an ovation to time-invested creativity. This Thanksgiving took us over the river and through the woods to Oma and Grandad's house. On Black Friday, while the masses were sleeping off tryptophan comas and dashing to early bird sales, Suzan's Mom was rolling out her famous gingerbread and helping the kids to construct their own edible wonders. As always, she was brimming with clever tips and tricks... AND THEN ... pulled out the magical box of colorful confections. Right down to the chocolate candy-coated rocks that they used on the chimneys. Morgen and Hayden probably clocked over 13 careful, detailed hours planning and pouring their creativity into these delightful creations. They are eager to share them with their friends, so, while they are still in-tact, they deserve a moment of fame.

Morgen's house is an awesome candy shop. Visitors follow the Necco wafer path to little awning-covered windows with merchants inside, ready to assist their customers. Hayden proved that all things confectionary do not have to be "girly". His hunting club is equipped with a turkey blind and a trophy bird. It also includes a quail cage and a big scary mystery (not allowed to tell) inside the house to surprise his friends when they eat down the house.

Thanks mom, for dusting off those custom made gingerbread cutters you created with a welding torch all those years ago. And for sharing your tips, your creative gifts and for reminding the next generation that it really is worth it to slow down and pour yourself into something once in a while, and to take pride in going above and beyond.

The Prairie Dog Town Grows

The efforts of Ken and Scott last week seem to have worked wonders, but it also brought us to the next step. Identifying that there is still significant clogging in the little seep holes in the laterals. Ken has been digging holes at alternate 6 foot intervals and drilling new seep holes in the pvc to assure that once it is closed up, it will function properly. Woodchip, the coolest kitty in the township, was on hand for inspection.

Septic Prairie Dogs

Hey- that would be a perfect name for a heavy metal band!

No, the prairie dogs on Meadow Lane, were two hard-working, patient men. To forge ahead with the trouble-shooting efforts of our mystery septic drama, Ken took a day off (w/out pay of course) and Scott sacrificed a precious vaca day to investigate and repair the backed up system. Ten accurately placed holes later, the junctions of the sand mound's laterals were exposed. A hand-held snake (in photo) was not enough to remove 20+ years of backed up glop, so we rented a bigger one for a few hours. Our high-pressure power washer helped to dislodge and clean everything out. Testing revealed a working system, so we will cap and seal the system, but leave the prairie dog holes as-is for a while until it can be determined if this actually did the trick. If not, the next step would be to dig out and drill new seep holes. If THAT doesn't work, we are probably looking at a major excavation and replacement. So for now, we'll celebrate the successful baby steps!

Thank you Scott for your time, muscle, expertise and friendship! [not to mention your tolerance of working on a nasty project]

TimBeR!

On Sunday afternoon, we took down all of the trees that were against the tall side (south) of the house. We'll miss them, but they really had to come out. Hopefully next weekend we can finish the job and cut and stack with everyone's helping hands. They are perfect firewood size!

Fishing With Snakes

Sorry friends, this is not a NATURE post, unless you speak of the NATURE OF ALL THINGS SEPTIC. The snakes I refer to are Plumbing Snakes.

The new septic pump ceased working this past week, so it was back to mega-conservative mode until Ken could take a jaunt back down the hole to assess things. The pump was removed and tested in a garbage can of water and it worked just fine. This told us that there must be a more DRAMATIC event happening between the secondary tank where the pump is and the sand mound.

Thanks to a borrow from Mike W., Ken fished the snakes in and there seemed to be no clogs. Measuring the supposed path of travel on TOP of the ground, the line did not stop until it made it all the way to the mound. So there just might be something wrong on that end that is causing everything to back up and stop the pump from pumping. yummy.

So, the mystery continues. The pump was returned back into its home in the hole and after a few days of water use, we will know if the snake activity jostled things back to order or if we will need to call in an expert after we plant that money tree.

IT IS WORKING!!

We are hesitant to let our guard down. However... BIG NEWS!

When taking a peek with a flashlight under the septic tank lid after a few days of almost normal water/drainage use, the level is far from alarming.

It is accompanied by the pleasant whir of something that is supposed to be working, that really IS working!!!

Hi-Fives all around.

Wireless in the Bad Place

Something is awry. It doesn't look like the new septic pump (or at least the activation part) is performing as it should be. It is not pumping at all and the tank is almost full. We'll assess things this evening and see what challenges or victories lie ahead. After this disappointment was discovered, Ken alerted of another unexpected obstacle: "MY CELL PHONE FELL IN THE HOLE!". Does anyone happen have an old Verizon cell they are not using that we can activate onto our plan?

Operation Septic Pump

Thanks to the amazing generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we now have a new WORKING septic pump!!

The new pump was ordered and delivered this week. Ken removed the old pump, parts and did all of the prep wiring on saturday. After a successful "phase one", while carrying the air compressor down the cellar steps, Ken slipped and bungled his wrist pretty bad. So, on account of Ken's injury (and to save Suzan from having to climb down into the fun-zone), on Sunday afternoon Scott came and was dubbed Master of Ceremonies. The project was completed successfully and we celebrated by having a Mr. Lee's Feast and Miss Morgen took the first INDOOR shower since the pump died over one month ago. Here are snapshots of the subterranean stink-hole heroes.

X-rays were taken of Ken's wrist today. We haven't heard from the radiologist yet, so maybe no news is good news.

The Outside Shower Moves

Kenny got into the spirit of things and moved our temporary outdoor shower and added a special feature just for Princess Morgen. It is now nestled into the bamboo grove with a wooden platform. The special feature?... HOT water! It is still 2008, right?

Our Tulip Tree Shower

Another home owner's hurdle presented itself this week. The septic pump, after 21 years of faithful service, slowed down to a little less than a crawl. We are going to try our hand at the budget route and replace it ourselves, so the weekend is being spent in conservation mode. Hand washing dishes and dumping the water outside, selective "camping" powder room visits, and of all things... a make-shift outdoor shower from the Tulip tree. We had some assistance with the super heavy rains and Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap. Afterwards, since we were already soaking wet, some stayed out for a heated game of "Hurricane Horseshoes".

Celebrating Evidences of Creation

We delight in the little things that can so easily be taken for granted. A child's discovery of a snake skin that has been shed at just the right time, and a humble little harvest from our tiny orchard. It is a joy to take pause in a busy day to celebrate such things!

Adding and Fixing

This summer, the trailer was slowly resurrected to be street-worthy (yes, it has occasionally been on the road without proper registration). So it underwent a face-lift and is almost complete. Here is a before and after of making the most of the old wheels.


Work was also done on the beams that divide the driveway and the lawn/pond areas. I especially like how Ken cut the end of one to merge with the boulder at the corner. It works well with the grasses and doesn't feel as "boxy".

An Apology Post

OK, so I am wondering.... is there a limit to how many times one is allowed to use the word "SLACKER" on a blog? Several have nicely reminded that the last post was on Father's Day. And now summer is behind us. To make up for lost time, I'll put up a few image posts of some of just a few things that have happened around the meadow recently.

Celebrating Dads

Another home improvement diversion. This time it is to honor all of our earthly Fathers and Grandfathers! All of the "kids" in our house were asked to write down 3 words/phrases that describe their Dad. Here are the survey results:

Ken says his Dad is: "Quiet, Kind and Interesting".

Suzan says her Dad is: "Patient, Inventive and Wonderfully Witty".

Morgen says her Dad is: "Fair, Caring and Brave".

Hayden says his Dad is: "Snuggly, Fun and Loving".

*photo credit: This interesting shot of a leaf (above), and the turtle in the last post were taken by Morgen. She is a natural behind a lens, just like her Dad.

Meadow Happenings

The last few weeks have been super busy with end-of-year school events and life in general. We did manage to get in Shore Acres grasses (thanks mom and dad!) and started to paint the pond chairs. We also had a few visitors; a 3.5 foot garter snake and a young (3") wood turtle, who spent the night at CLUB KNOTT in the foyer eating chicken and willow leaves before continuing on with his journey the next day.




This week we also had a big storm and lost our electricity for 24 hours, which always means family game night with candles. We bathed in the pond with the Dr. Bronners Peppermint Soap. The thought of it wrinkled the nose of 12yr. old Morgen, saying, "Wait just a minute!... Don't we usually take a shower AFTER we swim in the pond?". The parental, generational mantra followed: "we need to be thankful for what we have and make the most of it...blah blah blah". Before long, everyone was having fun and we actually smelled "SPA-LICIOUS" when we got out!

Celebrating and being Celebrated

Once in a while, our posts veer off of the home improvement path. Today is such a day. All of the "kids" in our house were asked to write down 3 words/phrases that describe their mom. Here are the survey results:

Ken says his mom is: "Loving, Caring, Generous".

Suzan says her mom is: "Optimistic, A Kid at Heart, Inspiring".

Morgen says her mom is: "Caring, Funky, Always There for Me".

Hayden says his mom is: "Fun, Loving, Awesome".

Another Great Outside Day

Today's predicted rain came only as clouds in the a.m. and then pushed aside to sunny skies, making way for more outside improvements. After a few more fish and plants were added to the pond, the remaining zebra grasses were planted on either side of the pond spillway, and the new little mystery ornamental grasses from Martin were planted by the boulders between the drive and pond.

Ken rough-placed the support beams for the bridge that will be built over the spillway. It only took minutes before the boys got all ninja-like (see photo).

This is a bit late, but THANKS mom and dad for all the Chester clay pots!

Zebra Grass finds a new home

Thank you Dean and Pam for sharing your Zebra grass!
Ken separated and planted it along the edge of the drive by the turn-around (temporary boat and trailer home). Hopefully, within a year or two it will make a nice border.

Out Of Blog Hibernation

Yes indeed, the slackers are back. Blog post slacking that is. With an AMAZING, relaxing vacation behind us (Thank you Wilkersons!!!), a NEW foot on the mend, longer daylight hours and the fact that everything seems to be coming alive out there... we have been delving back into outside improvements.

Today we continued with the mass shrub clipping, staking up the willow trees to improve posture, and power washed the pond chairs. While the power washer was out, Ken decided to push the application envelope and had a bit of fun trying to blast the tent caterpillar nests out of the trees by the deck. It seemed to do the trick on the lower branches. Success report to come.

With a little extra time and the blessing of found scraps, Ken and Hayden built a quick set of stilts. Definitely an acquired walking skill. Success report to come on that as well.
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Happy Spring Everyone!!