Today (Sunday 7/31/16) is cool and rainy – steady light rain. A definite change of pace from a very dry June and July. The grass here at my parent’s place is definitely looking California at the moment – dry and burnt golden.
Yesterday was quite a bit warmer and humid, though not scorching hot. I took the opportunity to get the bush hog Billy Goat machine out and knock down the brush that had sprung back up along along the property edges since John Bakewell took it out last year. Let me just say that young Bittersweet vines are tenacious, tough and very entangling. At one point I got the machine stuck because so many vines were wrapping around us. It took me 5 minutes to reverse out! But it looks much better now. Still a lot to do this summer along all the edges of the lower field (including along that side of the brook).
My dad and I have been batting around ideas for mechanical attachments for tractors – we have yet find the ‘perfect’ machinery for what we are looking for – one of the key things is able to do the pond banks – which are just a bit too steeply sloped and uneven for good walk behind equipment. I have started to think about sickle bars powered by a rear mounted PTO setup like this. They can usually provide a wide range of angles – from 90 degree vertical up to negative 75 degrees down.
On the house front:
The new stainless steel back splash arrived and we delivered it to the house on Saturday. When I ordered the original piece, I did the math conversion in my head and I apparently made a mistake – it ended up being slightly too small. Oh well – it wasn’t too expensive. Hopefully the new piece fits properly!
Paul has installed fully the over head lighting panel system that will be above the island – a sample stainless panel and LED light is installed and it looks REALLY good.
Site work hopefully will be happening in the week coming up. Gravel is onsite for the finish of the grade on the driveway I would guess.
Everyone – have a good week!
-
- Lighting panel over the island. Stainless panel with the plastic protected skin and the eyeball LED light installed. Looks great!
-
- Pile of gravel before the site work has started
-
- Stainless back splash with the old, incorrectly sized, center panel