- Monday: It started about lunchtime, the hammering and the sawing.
The house next door to mine got a new tenant this month, and the landlord wanted to finish up a few things on the exterior. It's his way of welcoming the newbies to the Funny Farm I suppose, the incessant hammering and the sawing.
I cracked my blinds and watched for a minute as he monkeyed around on a tall ladder for some unknown task, came down and moved it two or three feet, and then climbed back up to monkey some more. He came down, measured a plank, then, more hammering and more sawing.
Today I tried to turn on the water in the old studio, but not a drop came out of the antique faucet. It was supposed to be a simple task, turn a valve and walk away. Oh well, back to the garden-- speaking of water-- give those pepper sprouts a drink before dark.
- Tuesday: More hammering and sawing next door, starting mid-morning. The new occupant must be pleased.
To compete with the noise, I rounded up some thin cedar cuts from the wood mill's scrap pile and, with an electric drill and a hand saw, built a nice tomato trellis for the garden. I know, no tomatoes yet, but it looks like progress.
- Wednesday: Seriously. Eleven o'clock and the hammering starts next door, then the sawing. Hammering and sawing. We're talking about a house that was already built, and the dude has pounded another thousand nails into the thing, give or take. That house is smaller than mine, and my old house is pretty puny. Now though, the house next door has a fancy enclosed back porch with new storm windows. These new people get all the nice stuff.
Called the landlord's home number in the afternoon and talked to his wife about getting the water turned on in my studio. It's been off for 10 years, but if he could just show me the right pipes, I can do the rest myself. I don't ask for much, they know, and she said he (the landlord) would be by tomorrow around 9 AM to help me with the apparent plumbing issue. "Nine will be perfect!" I chimed, and that was that.
Stuck some new store-bought onion starts in the new raised beds, then watered 'em in with a little guano. If they survive, it'll be the closest I've ever come to eating a bat that I know of.
Some of the smaller pepper, basil and tomato transplants got little half-bottle greenhouses today, some protection from the elements for their first few weeks outside.
Thursday: Hmm. It's past lunchtime, and no hammering, no sawing. Peaceful. I guess the landlord finished all of the renovations on the house next door. I bet the new tenant is relieved! Now that I think about it, the landlord never showed up here to help me get the water turned on in the old studio either. I guess he got busy somewhere way over on the other side of the farm today. Lots to do around the farm in the springtime!
Friday: Old Sooie the cat has started hanging around the garden more this year, always trying to get into the new beds, always underfoot at the wrong time, always in the way. She's the main garden pest so far this year. It would be too easy for me to introduce Sooie to the fierce hydraulic power that I'm endowed with through the nozzle of this hand-held watering device, I keep thinking. It would be downright scientific of me to thoroughly test the garden hose's potential cat-soaking abilities on such a handy subject. Anyone would agree that this is a nuisance cat, clearly up to no good. I'm certain that future farmers could benefit from the data that I could gather with such experiments as the ones I've envisioned, but I'm resisting the urge to hose her down, at least until the weather gets a little warmer.
You know I can read your thoughts, right?
Hey, another whole day with no hammering, no sawing! I hope my new next-door neighbor enjoys the peace and quiet like I do. Welcome to the Funny Farm!