Mason Bee House Part 3

Yesterday we hung the Mason bee house on the back of the garden shed.  This area gets morning and early afternoon sun plus it is sheltered from storms coming from the west and wind from the north.  In the class she told us not to attach it to trees and to place it around 42 inches from the ground.  We placed it higher because of the plantings under the window.

OOPS!! I need to fix that storm window screen.

The bee cocoons are still chillin in the fridge.  I don't want to wake them up until there are blooms available for them to snack on.

I also have praying mantis pods in my fridge.  They too, will wait until a little later in the spring before they make their appearance.  Last summer I saw a praying mantis on the deck so I know that we have some are out there in the yard.

The temperatures yesterday and today were in the 70's.  Love the temps but it's raining AGAIN.  The cats have been loving the warm temps.  They have been busy rolling around on the deck and hiding in the fallen willow limb.

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Patio Exterior Lights

We were able to get a few more cedar shingles installed before it started raining yet AGAIN.

If it rains tomorrow we can run the wire to the boxes from inside the house. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't rain because I still have some stuff to put away before we get freezing temperatures.

Elvis wanted to go outside, but when we opened the door and he saw it was raining, he just stood there.  He would be happy if we just left the door open so he could be outside without actually going outside. 

Tomorrow's high temp is suppose to be 57 degrees.  That is warm enough to prime IF the shingles are dry enough after all this rain.  Raw cedar shingles are like sponges when it rains, that is why I try my best to get at least one coat of primer on them.

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The Last Nice Day Of the Year

The weather today was bittersweet.  On one hand, it was a balmy 71 degrees and on the other hand, tomorrow's forecast is for a high of 40 degrees and a low of 28 degrees with a chance of snow.  It's the middle of November, so 40 degrees is just about normal.  But 70 degrees was soooo nice, but in the back of your head you know that once the cold weather breaks that threshold of being cold both night and day, you are screwed.  You will not see or feel a warm day again until sometime in the 4th month of the year 2017.

It's depressing having a solid 4 or 5 months of cold weather with nothing but grey skies.  So I made the most of today and at least painted the primed shingles grey.  

Today I painted the primed shingles and also touched up some of the grey paint where I missed a spot here and there.  I had hoped to get at least one coat of white paint on the trim but 4 o'clock rolled around all too soon.  I started picking up tools and paint cans at 4pm and by the time 430pm came, it was twilight. 

I almost forget to tell you about this trim that we added. We  added a piece of cove trim where the shingles meet the deck.  This isn't something that you normally do but we have a problem with leaves getting stuck in the gap between the deck and the house.  The leaves decay and then hold moisture and rot the wood.  We are hoping that this small piece of trim stops that from happening again.  You couldn't even see the trim after I painted it grey.  We will not need this trim piece once we replace the decking and run the deck boards all the way under the shingles.

Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. We can run wire for the two exterior lights from inside the house. The wire and switch are already in place.  We just need to install 2 junction boxes (one on each side of the patio door) and run wire from one junction box to the other.

When the rain stops we can start hanging more shingles.  We can shingle in the winter if it isn't snowing or below 28 degrees.  Twentyeight degrees is the point where coats and gloves interfere with being able to move and handle tools.

R had a helper yesterday.  Elvis insisted on laying his head on R's leg.  The day before this he wanted to lay on the shingle bundles.  

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Game Room Windows

We have moved on to the game room exterior.  The old inappropriate windows were removed and replaced with the same restoration windows that we installed in the kitchen.

The window opening on the right was already there but the window on the left required making an opening and framing it out.  The hardest part was making sure the opening was the same distance from the door and the same elevation as the opening on the right.

Yesterday we started the shingle installation.  But before we started hanging shingles we nailed a roll of aluminum flashing under the tar paper at the area where the exterior wall meets the deck.  We decided to add the flashing because snow piles up against the shingles in the winter and we wanted to make sure that moisture doesn't wick through to the interior wall and insulation.

I am always surprised how much better the windows look with shingles around them.

We already have the two exterior lights that go on each side of the patio doors.  We also have vintage French doors to replace the ugliest sliding doors on the planet.  

Tomorrow we will build the step in front of the patio door.  It's going to be big because I have two 20x20 square planters that I planted with Alberta spruces years ago and I want them to sit on the step.  The reason we have to build the step before we move on is because the step will need to be screwed to the sheathing and then we will shingle around the step.

Elvis says he "loves to nap on steps" especially if he can be in the way.

Window Swap Update and Elvis' Last Nerve

Our cat, Elvis, is not happy about all the ruckus on the deck.  There is far too much noise for his kitty ears.  He likes to take his afternoon nap in solitude on the deck under his favorite bird feeder. Our hammering is also keeping the birds away. His life is in turmoil and he has totally had it with his humans.  

Don't worry Elvis, at the rate we are going we might be done by Labor Day weekend.  We knew the first window would take the longest but we hadn't figured in downtime for rain because we have basically had none this summer.

We just started the build up of the bottom of the window when it started to rain.  We quickly covered the opening with a tarp and called it a day.

On Saturday we started about 1PM only to have it start raining the minute we took the tarp down.  A quick check of the radar map showed that it was just a little rainshower so we continued working even though it was lightly raining.  Then the sun came out and dried up all the rain and then it got HOT and HUMID.

We finished building up the bottom of the opening.  Then a quick look through the scrap pile found a scrap piece of 3/8th plywood which was perfect for the sheathing.  Next we installed a layer of rigid foam insulation.  We used a partial sheet that R picked up from someone's trash.  It was the perfect thickness, too.  That saved us about 20 bucks.  We taped the seams with metal tape (not duct tape) and called it a day.

Tomorrow we will come up with some sort of method to raise the window up so that it will be easier to slide it into the opening.  R says he thinks we can use the floor jacks and milk crates.  If that doesn't work, we will call the 'son' over to help R lift the window.

I'm trying my best to give my neck and shoulders a break so that my disc can debulge. I emptied my purse of all non critical items.  I found that I had about 5 pounds of loose change in the side pockets, a construction size tape measure, miscellaneous screws and nails, expired coupons, 4 pairs of eyeglasses, and a variety of lipsticks in colors I have no idea why I purchased.

I can actually close my purse now.  I think my purse might be the culprit.  When I put my purse on my shoulder I can feel it in my neck.  So no more throwing my purse on my shoulder.  I am also sleeping without a pillow and using a rolled up towel to support my neck.  I know it sounds uncomfortable but it works wonders for me.

The fountain partially filled with rainwater because of the rain we have had in the last two days.  The top holds water until it reaches one of the holes.  That wasn't a surprise.  The middle tier held no water.  I assume it went directly to the bottom bowl.

I'm leaning towards using it as a 3 tiered planter with annuals that flow over the edge.  I would love a fountain but I really don't want the upkeep.  

Tomorrow is a big day.  We can't wait to see another ugly window go bye bye.

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