First Day of Summer

[get_nick]

how much is your time worth per hour for leisure/enjoyment, vs the guy you'd pay 15 or 20 bucks an hour to do that shit for you?
Enjoy your life man.

(From the guy who mows his own lawn and doesn't take his own advice.)

I paid for help with the dirt removal. Even the home depot squatters want $20/hour for the shit work of moving dirt and gravel. It was worth it to me. Moved 3,000 pounds of dirt in 2 hours. Cost me a little more since I kept one of the guys a few hours more, but it was worth it. I like the building, hate the demo and clearing.

It's funny how differently people look at yard work/projects/whatever.

Some people hate it but it's therapeutic to me.

Last weekend I built a tree ring in the front yard, filled it with 2 yards of soil, 30 perennials, and a yard of mulch.

Parked the truck in the front yard, listened to some music, drank some beers, and worked on my tan.

Building and prepping is the fun stuff. Spending several hours in the sun just digging dirt, wheel barrowing it to a truck, and loading it for trips to the dump suck. Also, I spent 3 hours last night compacting gravel with a tamper and laying pavers. That shit sucks too.


Buuuuttt.....it's still better than painting. Fuck painting.

 

[Briansol]

:Werd: f painting

 

[D16Civic]

I paid for help with the dirt removal. Even the home depot squatters want $20/hour for the shit work of moving dirt and gravel. It was worth it to me. Moved 3,000 pounds of dirt in 2 hours. Cost me a little more since I kept one of the guys a few hours more, but it was worth it. I like the building, hate the demo and clearing.



Building and prepping is the fun stuff. Spending several hours in the sun just digging dirt, wheel barrowing it to a truck, and loading it for trips to the dump suck. Also, I spent 3 hours last night compacting gravel with a tamper and laying pavers. That shit sucks too.


Buuuuttt.....it's still better than painting. Fuck painting.

Yeah I dont paint any more. After 77 conversations about this taupe or that taupe I gave up. All looks the same to me anyways.

As far as digging goes I feel you. Dug a 2 ft trench about 60 feet in clay by hand last summer to run 220 out to the garage. Luckily I have a low spot in the back to dump it all. But when it's done it's definitely a sense of satisfaction.

 

[jamesA]

I loved how here in Indiana it was in the 80s and 90s from the first of June until the first day of summer. Then suddenly it's 55 and cloudy from the 21st until today. This state is so backwards.

I'm hoping to get a few trees removed and just trying to keep up on my yard this summer. Boring.

 

[E_SolSi]

I loved how here in Indiana it was in the 80s and 90s from the first of June until the first day of summer. Then suddenly it's 55 and cloudy from the 21st until today. This state is so backwards.

if it makes you feel better it was like that in CT too... got warm couple days in the 90s in April, May was mostly cool and raining, and lately its been hovering around 70-80... weather seems to be very confused

 

[Briansol]

I've been loving this low humidity low 80s days though, let me tell you!

 

[BigJ]

I paid for help with the dirt removal. Even the home depot squatters want $20/hour for the shit work of moving dirt and gravel. It was worth it to me. Moved 3,000 pounds of dirt in 2 hours. Cost me a little more since I kept one of the guys a few hours more, but it was worth it. I like the building, hate the demo and clearing.



Building and prepping is the fun stuff. Spending several hours in the sun just digging dirt, wheel barrowing it to a truck, and loading it for trips to the dump suck. Also, I spent 3 hours last night compacting gravel with a tamper and laying pavers. That shit sucks too.


Buuuuttt.....it's still better than painting. Fuck painting.

I'm painting right now.... Its a piece of cake. Lots of time cleaning and prepping. Very little actually painting so far.

 

[get_nick]

I'm painting right now.... Its a piece of cake. Lots of time cleaning and prepping. Very little actually painting so far.

Between all of the rooms and the garage, I was definitely over it when I was finished.

 

[BigJ]

Between all of the rooms and the garage, I was definitely over it when I was finished.

Didn't you contract it out?

 

[Jeef]

I used to be a painter and 3 years later I have only painted 2 rooms in my house. Now that I am trying to sell it I will be painting more.

 

[get_nick]

Didn't you contract it out?

No, I did everything except the downstairs living area, the stairwell, and the guest bathroom. I did the bedrooms, theater room and the garage myself.

 

[BigJ]

No, I did everything except the downstairs living area, the stairwell, and the guest bathroom. I did the bedrooms, theater room and the garage myself.

Gotcha. I'm doing two rooms now. It's just time consuming. I'm fussy though and take my sweet time because I want it to be done right. Sand the gloss off the walls, wipe them clean, then TSP, then water. Then its tape time, and paint time. Way less time actually painting. At this rate I'll be painting all summer. I don't mind cranking up some tunes and painting for a couple hours at a time in the evenings. Better than going to school...

 

[get_nick]

Gotcha. I'm doing two rooms now. It's just time consuming. I'm fussy though and take my sweet time because I want it to be done right. Sand the gloss off the walls, wipe them clean, then TSP, then water. Then its tape time, and paint time. Way less time actually painting. At this rate I'll be painting all summer. I don't mind cranking up some tunes and painting for a couple hours at a time in the evenings. Better than going to school...

At least you had some construction type work experience. This type of painting and the garage finishing was all new to me. Thank got for youtube. Overall it wasn't too bad. Doing the off-color accent walls and edging them was a pita.

 

[reckedracing]

If you get a chance to go outside in a field around twilight be sure to take note of the fireflies/lightning bugs.
It's quite a sight to see this time of year. The simple things in life...

 

[get_nick]

If you get a chance to go outside in a field around twilight be sure to take note of the fireflies/lightning bugs.
It's quite a sight to see this time of year. The simple things in life...

I saw fireflies for the first time in my life over the weekend. I had this image that they would just be flying around everywhere. I was sort of disappointed since I was looking forward to them so much.

 

[reckedracing]

eh, not sure what you were expecting lol.
in a big open dark field its like thousands of small flashes going off as far as the eye can see.
might be more of a nostalgia thing for me though.

 

[get_nick]

eh, not sure what you were expecting lol.
in a big open dark field its like thousands of small flashes going off as far as the eye can see.
might be more of a nostalgia thing for me though.

I expected them to actually fly and stay lit the entire time, not just 2-3 seconds. I envisioned it to be like the cartoons where they are just flying around everywhere, not just jumping off the ground. They're the bug equivalent of chickens. lol

 

[reckedracing]

they flash on and off, but they go pretty high. i could see them all the way to the tops of trees in my back yard.
not sure what kind of lazy fireflies you have in the west.

:the more you know:
"There are a few rare exceptions, but for the most part, flashing fireflies don't live west of the Rockies."

 

[jamesA]

Firefly? You mean lightning bugs. Get outta here with that west coast speak. Also, if you squish them and scrape them across the pavement, it'll continue glowing for a little while.

Yep. I was that kid.

 

[TurboMirage]

Fireflies.....