"Houston... That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
All this time I thought the ditch would be the end of me but with help from Boike, a rented Bobcat, a couple cases of the nectar of the Gods, PBR, and a good back bone I choke slammed the ditch into submission! This is not the first time the dynamic duel got together to fight the evil forces of the world!!! This was like 15 years ago at the love shack baby love shack, I mean the lake house. You show me someone that graduated from CCHS in 1992 and I will show you a person that took part in 'extra curriculum activities' down there..... Anyways, a big tree fell on it and we were commissioned by Mr and Mrs. Boike to tear it down and boy did we!!!!!
That's my truck at the time being used to knock a wall down. MMMMM To be young and care free again!!!!!
OK...... The first thing I had to do was have all the utility lines marked so we didn't accidentally rupture the gas line while digging!!! KABOOM!!!! Get this..... I went to this web site in the morning and filled in my info... I was thinking it would take them at least a week to come out and mark them all but to my amazement, when I came home from work that afternoon they were all marked!!!! SWEET!!!!
Next up.... Getting the Bobcat..... I made it very clear to the guys at the place I rented it that I had never operated one before. The guy said with a little chuckle "That's no problem... It will take me about five minutes to show you how to use it and I guarantee you'll be driving it like a pro in the first half an hour." Sure enough he was 100% right!!!!
I unloaded it and I was off faster than a prom dress..... I started working on the side of the house where I keep the boat. Remember this?
Well that is what happens when your tires are sitting on the ground. The soil sucks all the moisture out of them... I leveled it and I will be having a load of gravel dumped in there.
The next night Boike came and we took part in drinkin' some PBR...... I love sitting in the rocking chairs out on my huge front porch and talking about the same stuff we talked about the last time we saw each other. GOOD GOD we are old men! He was telling me about how much fun Mese, his wife and him had at the Poison show. If I recall he told me that she was wearing a tub top that said 'spring break 86'. And this is me giving my approval!!
We started out bright and early the next morning by taking out all the RR ties I put in there last year...
Don't let the looks fool ya. I took this picture when I first put them in and you're right, I had a pretty good lookin' start to it but trust me. It was a downward spiral after that.... Anyways, we took them all and threw them in the back yard for the time being.
Then the digging and leveling off began....
OH YEAH!!!!!!! It's 10am!!!! You know what that means!?!?!?!?! It's time to take our Teamster break with a couple of cold ones....
We learned to take a 'real' break from our good friend Gary who was a Teamster for like 30 some years. You want some good entertainment!?!?!?! Watch those two yahoos 'discuss' unions after each of them has had a few alcoholic beverages... Boike's anti and Gary is pro union... It's better than watching any presidential debate you have ever seen.
After our break we started building a retaining wall around my water line. We decided that digging directly on top of it would not be in my best interest. How nice would it have been if none of my neighbors on the street had running water for the day because it had to be shut off so the water company could fix the line I ruptured!?!?!? They all would have loved me!!!! Neighborly hospitality!!!!
After that we leveled out the ditch so the slope was not that drastic. So it was this...
And now it's this...
The next morning we focused on the side yard. We touched it up a little bit and then placed some RR ties as a border and laid some weed barrier down. I'm getting a dump truck load of gravel on Friday. It will look real puuuuuurty then.
Then came the area where we built the retaining wall..... I moved the bush you see on the left of the picture and centered it and also planted some ivy to spread.... That stuff rules!!!!! It's fast growing and covers up all of the imperfections..... It's the Toupee of landscaping... HMMMMMMM!?!?! I might go over to my brother's house and take some of the ivy growing up the retaining wall?????? That sounds like a plan to me!!!!! MORE IVY!!!! I'm a ivy-holic!!!!
Now your going to get my two cents on this whole experience..... I highly recommend you go and rent a Bobcat if you are doing some landscaping!!! Trust me! Your back will thank you!!! I stacked all those RR ties in the back yard in less than a half an hour...
When you realize all the stuff you can get accomplished when you rent one it's a no brainer..... It's money well spent.....
And look who made a magazine cover!?!? None other than my wacky sister in law Princess Leia.... You want my opinion? Well I don't care, you're going to get it anyway.... The best picture is on page 4!!! It's an action shot of her singing karaoke!!! I think she is singing an old Milli Vanilli song......
That's my truck at the time being used to knock a wall down. MMMMM To be young and care free again!!!!!
OK...... The first thing I had to do was have all the utility lines marked so we didn't accidentally rupture the gas line while digging!!! KABOOM!!!! Get this..... I went to this web site in the morning and filled in my info... I was thinking it would take them at least a week to come out and mark them all but to my amazement, when I came home from work that afternoon they were all marked!!!! SWEET!!!!
Next up.... Getting the Bobcat..... I made it very clear to the guys at the place I rented it that I had never operated one before. The guy said with a little chuckle "That's no problem... It will take me about five minutes to show you how to use it and I guarantee you'll be driving it like a pro in the first half an hour." Sure enough he was 100% right!!!!
I unloaded it and I was off faster than a prom dress..... I started working on the side of the house where I keep the boat. Remember this?
Well that is what happens when your tires are sitting on the ground. The soil sucks all the moisture out of them... I leveled it and I will be having a load of gravel dumped in there.
The next night Boike came and we took part in drinkin' some PBR...... I love sitting in the rocking chairs out on my huge front porch and talking about the same stuff we talked about the last time we saw each other. GOOD GOD we are old men! He was telling me about how much fun Mese, his wife and him had at the Poison show. If I recall he told me that she was wearing a tub top that said 'spring break 86'. And this is me giving my approval!!
We started out bright and early the next morning by taking out all the RR ties I put in there last year...
Don't let the looks fool ya. I took this picture when I first put them in and you're right, I had a pretty good lookin' start to it but trust me. It was a downward spiral after that.... Anyways, we took them all and threw them in the back yard for the time being.
Then the digging and leveling off began....
OH YEAH!!!!!!! It's 10am!!!! You know what that means!?!?!?!?! It's time to take our Teamster break with a couple of cold ones....
We learned to take a 'real' break from our good friend Gary who was a Teamster for like 30 some years. You want some good entertainment!?!?!?! Watch those two yahoos 'discuss' unions after each of them has had a few alcoholic beverages... Boike's anti and Gary is pro union... It's better than watching any presidential debate you have ever seen.
After our break we started building a retaining wall around my water line. We decided that digging directly on top of it would not be in my best interest. How nice would it have been if none of my neighbors on the street had running water for the day because it had to be shut off so the water company could fix the line I ruptured!?!?!? They all would have loved me!!!! Neighborly hospitality!!!!
After that we leveled out the ditch so the slope was not that drastic. So it was this...
And now it's this...
Up next was a trip to the local feed & seed store Elgin's for a few bales of hay and some seed, rye and brown top millet, that would start right a way. Let me tell ya folks, go and support your local feed & seed store because they know a lot more than any of those lawn and garden BIG BOX stores..... You might save a little bit of money if you go to Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart but you'll be lucky to get someone that knows what the sam hell they are talkin' about......
So up next was spreading some seed then hay. We got rye and top millet because the stuff grows fast and helps fight erosion. We also used a few of the bails and steaked them where the water runs so they slow the flow down which also helps with erosion. Don't worry, they are not permanent. I'll keep them in there until there is a good cover of grass and the dirt is compacted enough.
That was enough work for one day..... We got cleaned up and my parents came down and we cooked out with some steaks. All catered by Kate McBride catering service!!! HE HE HE HE HE HE!!! Her and pops brought everything down for a feast fit for a king!!!! WOO HOO!!!! I didn't have to do anything!!!! I told Boike that he was lucky they came down and served up dinner because if they didn't he would have been lucky if I threw in a frozen pizza in the oven for him.... We spent the rest of the evening chilling out on the front porch. I was soooooo tired that I fell out of my rocking chair...... That's my story and I am stickin' to it!!!!
So up next was spreading some seed then hay. We got rye and top millet because the stuff grows fast and helps fight erosion. We also used a few of the bails and steaked them where the water runs so they slow the flow down which also helps with erosion. Don't worry, they are not permanent. I'll keep them in there until there is a good cover of grass and the dirt is compacted enough.
The next morning we focused on the side yard. We touched it up a little bit and then placed some RR ties as a border and laid some weed barrier down. I'm getting a dump truck load of gravel on Friday. It will look real puuuuuurty then.
Then came the area where we built the retaining wall..... I moved the bush you see on the left of the picture and centered it and also planted some ivy to spread.... That stuff rules!!!!! It's fast growing and covers up all of the imperfections..... It's the Toupee of landscaping... HMMMMMMM!?!?! I might go over to my brother's house and take some of the ivy growing up the retaining wall?????? That sounds like a plan to me!!!!! MORE IVY!!!! I'm a ivy-holic!!!!
When you realize all the stuff you can get accomplished when you rent one it's a no brainer..... It's money well spent.....Look what I found on You Tube!!! See those trees in the background? I live on the other side of them. You can hear the cars if you were outside but if your just sitting inside watching TV then you can hardly hear them...
I started out by telling you that Boike and I tore down the old lake house years ago... Well Boike's younger brother and his family just built a house out there..... The original built by Sanford and Son.
And the new one!!! I'd say it's a little bit better then the shack that use to be out there.
I started out by telling you that Boike and I tore down the old lake house years ago... Well Boike's younger brother and his family just built a house out there..... The original built by Sanford and Son.
And the new one!!! I'd say it's a little bit better then the shack that use to be out there.
And look who made a magazine cover!?!? None other than my wacky sister in law Princess Leia.... You want my opinion? Well I don't care, you're going to get it anyway.... The best picture is on page 4!!! It's an action shot of her singing karaoke!!! I think she is singing an old Milli Vanilli song......
And before I sign off I just wanted to mention that no you are not tripping on anything, I changed the background to blue..... That's right!! I added some spice to my blog!!!!! OH YEAH BABY!!!! I also want to apologize that it took me so long to post a new entry but I have had computer issues.... The dang thing died and I am having it looked at. Plus all of my pictures and stuff are on the that computer and I had to scramble to find or take other pictures and there are other 'issues' that caused a delay too...... Anyways, enough of my whinning. Have a good one and I will talk to y'all later.......
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