Gina's journey

[Stottie Girl]

It's always easier to build from scratch Gina but old buildings give you character. When you bring something back from dereliction it attaches you more than just building anew. There's a bit more of your soul in it.

I used to design barn conversions for a living, converted from the old dissused stone farm steading buildings that are dotted about all over England (usually hundreds of years old) and, whilst sometimes a bit of a headache I always prefered it to designing new builds. You usually ended up with something very unique.

It sounds like a very exciting project.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Glad to hear the project is coming along and you have help to get it done. I agree with Sarah, older homes have more character. It's just different when you say, "Built in 1902" versus "Built yesterday".
😄

Glad you are feeling better!

[ChrissyRyan]

Dizziness has mostly gone away. More water, exercises, meds.... I take it as a win, win!
  Work on the house, has been progressing slowly but moving forward. The neighbors niece, a 27yr old has been working for me. She is a hard worker and drives me to keep up. We are removing the floor beams, which have sagged an inch or more. Flipping them and cutting them straight then resetting them at 16" centers instead of 24".The wiring and pluming is run through them which must also be removed and or rerouted first. Some of the sills are rotted and also need replacing as we go. Probably would have been easier to build from scratch!
  The weather has been beautiful. Was in the high 60's yesterday so I took the day off and rode the horses. Also trimmed the apple trees. There are 4 of them. I gave them a spray of dormant oil to, I know a little late but its on. Looking forward to getting some apples in the fall. There are also 2 very neglected peach trees. I hesitated to trim them until I see just what is alive or dead. They got a drink of the spray as well.
  The apartment is getting small and the wife and I seam to always be in each others way. It is a long ways out but I can't wait to get in a bigger place.

Sounds really good Gina!

What does dormant oil do for the trees?  Does this keep bugs from eating the fruit?

Chrissy

[Gina P]

Sounds really good Gina!

What does dormant oil do for the trees?  Does this keep bugs from eating the fruit?

Chrissy

Dormant oil is supposed to kill any bugs wintering over on the plants. Most are 'Neem' oil, an all natural/ organic oil. Fruit spray comes later. I'm new at this and learning.

[ChrissyRyan]

Dormant oil is supposed to kill any bugs wintering over on the plants. Most are 'Neem' oil, an all natural/ organic oil. Fruit spray comes later. I'm new at this and learning.

I see.
How long do new apple trees live (produce fruit)?  After what age do they produce fruit?

[Gina P]

I see.
How long do new apple trees live (produce fruit)?  After what age do they produce fruit?

3-5 years before the first fruit. Probably double that for full production. According to Google, trees live 50-80 years and some 100 or more. I wish I knew what varieties these are. Guess I will have to wait and see or should I say guess.

[ChrissyRyan]

Is there a specific way to trim the trees?  Besides cutting off dead limbs and perhaps thinning out branches?  I guess it may be hard to tell if a branch is dead or not until you see or not see leaves while other branches have leaves.


Chrissy

[Lori Dee ✅]

When I was a teenager, a group of us trimmed trees at an apple orchard. The owner was a 96-year-old woman, and she did it herself until she was 92. There was nothing feeble about her. She went up and down stepladders like they were nothing.

After the first year, she said her harvest was so good that she had to use ladders to hold up large branches because they were so heavy with apples. She invited us back each year for four years. Then we moved out of state. She paid well and was a delight to talk to.

[Gina P]

Dizzyness or vertigo came back. Every time I look up I almost fall down. I have been neglecting the exercises, so I guess I get what's coming to me. 
Having a new roof put on my project house today. I hired a company. Not like me, but a bigger job than I want to tackle myself. Still working on the subfloor and resetting or replacing the beams. I am just amazed at the amount of poor work that was done. Latest is the kitchen has 2x6 beams 10' long, 24" apart. I don't like the trampoline effect every time I walk across the floor so they are being replaced with 2x10's, 16" apart and added bridging in the middle. Also having to replace the main beam holding up the ceiling and roof. Quite challenging trying to jack the house up and put a new beam in.

[Stottie Girl]

16" is pretty much uk standard spacing too (450mm centres), plus we put in timber noggins if the span is 8ft or greater. If there aren't any sleeper walls and you have a solid underfloor you could always put vertical posts midway to increase rigidity if it's still a problem though thats a bit of a bodge.

[Courtney G]

Sorry to hear about the vertigo, Gina.

If anyone can get that work done, it's you! Good luck.

[ChrissyRyan]

I wonder why West Virginia has such as unusual shape, probably in part because of state line rivers.  It looks as if, like Michigan, that it has two peninsulas. 

Maybe the shape is not that unusual, as there are a number of squiggly border lines of other states because of rivers.  It just seems that way!

[Gina P]

I wonder why West Virginia has such as unusual shape, probably in part because of state line rivers.  It looks as if, like Michigan, that it has two peninsulas. 

Maybe the shape is not that unusual, as there are a number of squiggly border lines of other states because of rivers.  It just seems that way!

I'm not sure why they drew it that way, but I know it was part of Virginia until the civil war. Western part of the state, being comprised of mostly smaller farms and industry (no plantations) wanted to stay with the union. It was during this time it was divided off. There were many suggestions for the new name but West Virginia was the one they choose. I liked Kanawha, a West Virginia indian tribe name. Though it wouldn't sound as good in the John Denver song, Country roads! Imagine, Konawha, mountain momma, country roads take me home. (Just being a bit silly this morning.)

[Lori Dee ✅]

The Library of Congress has information on state shapes.

https://www.loc.gov/programs/center-for-the-book/featured-videos/item/2021687996/ 🔗

[Stottie Girl]

The only thing weird about that boundary is the perfectly straight lines to the North East. I don't think you'll find that anywhere else but North America. It looks so alien to me.

All boundaries in the UK are squiggly, often following rivers but not always.

[Gina P]

  A quick up date on my life. Wife and I had a big fight. Living in a tiny apartment gets fustrating and we do things that easily get in each others nerves. Seams to have blown over for now.
  Had a new roof put on the house. Hired this one out. Still replacing floor joists and working on replacing a beam to hold up the back portion of the house. This one was tricky, having to jack the ceiling up while replacing the floor and removing the wall. Some of the temporary supports go down into the basement. I will be happy when this portion is done.
  Came down with a cold. Runny nose, muscle aches. I think the worst is past. Just a lingering cough. Still trying to keep pressing forward, only worked a few hours yesterday
   Working like a man all day gets depressing. GD bothers me a bit but I know this is only temporary!

[Stottie Girl]

Sorry you're feeling under weather. But I have to ask, you hired a roof? Is that a thing?

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

@Stottie Girl
Dear Sharon:
I absolutely don't wish to speak for Gina P  but I am thinking that she meant to say that she hired a Roofer or Contractor to put on or to fix her roof.  On most buildings roofing is a lot work.
Hugs, Danielle

Sorry you're feeling under weather. But I have to ask, you hired a roof? Is that a thing?

[Stottie Girl]

@Stottie Girl
Dear Sharon:
I absolutely don't wish to speak for Gina P  but I am thinking that she meant to say that she hired a Roofer or Contractor to put on or to fix her roof.  On most buildings roofing is a lot work.
Hugs, Danielle

Lol! I never know with you Americans and your weird ways ha ha!

Yeah I know it's a lot of work, I used to design them. I was thinking it might have been a temporary hired structure or something like that. Sounds very dumb now I type it!

[Gina P]

Hired the roof "out". Meaning, I didn't try and do this one myself. The contractor, or roofer did a nice job. Guys were working with no shirts and all got sunburned. Now its 15f this morning and we had 5" of snow yesterday. The weather swings are crazy this year. All the flowers that bloomed are dead. My peach tree bloomed, froze, and now, will not get any peaches this year.
   I had my appointment with the doctor. Now I am an official patient. I was able to up my Progesterone to 200mg. My moods continue to trouble me. I wonder if I made the right decision coming off the Cymbalta. Some days I feel so overwhelmed by all the work needed here. I keep working but the progress is slow. Nothing is level or square in the house so doing renovations require custom cutting every board to fit. I had figured on getting some cattle in the fall but my wife thinks we should wait another year till we are more ready. Can't say I disagree but I want to move on and do other things. I work on the house 6 or 7 days a week. We need to get out and go horse back ridding for a day or something fun now and then. I know I can hire the work out on the house but I want this part done right! Todays job is put a beam 38' long in place. It's a 2"x12" tripled or 3 layers thick. I can barley pick up one 2x12, 16' long so this will be interesting lots of ropes and I plan to build it in the air, gluing and screwing several pieces together. Wish me luck.