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My other "hobby"

moon puppy

moon puppy

Administrator
Staff member
One of my other chores I'm doing around the Due West Ranch is getting the grass growing again.
Since I've not been able to build and time is limited to doing repairs and working on getting the shed operational (Crazy close right now!) I've also been busy getting our yard looking good.
This is what the yard looked like when we bought it back in June of last year. it's a fresh cut but you can see not very consistent color.
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In april I applied a liberal dose of Scot's Weed and Feed and come mid may, this was the results.
Most of the green that was there were weeds...
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In May I applied more money...I mean fertilizer Pendington Mulch and Seed, and insecticide, needed to kill off the grubs that were eating at the grass and who were attracting the moles.
And this was after the cut yesterday.
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I miss identified the preexisting established grass as centipede, I was wanting to just build on what I have but now the centipede is going well I'm going to over sow it and see if it'll choke out everything else. But at least it's all grass now!
Made me feel real good when an elderly fella we've known a while stopped by to tell me "I've lived here 85 years and never seen this place look this good.".
 
That is really looking good Bob! My yard is decent out front though the back is mostly weeds. Have hit it with weed and feed a couple of times and the weeds just keep growing.

Right now my "other" hobby is working on the van getting the deer damage fixed. Got most of the big parts in hand last Friday. Spent yesterday pulling off the bumper cover and extraneous parts so the radiator and AC condenser can be replaced. Straightened the connecting bar over the top of the radiator. The front edge was bent down slightly and it just needed to be pulled back to proper shape. Saved $100 by straightening the connecting bar which wasn't all that bad. Saving another $100 or so by having all the extra stuff out of the way for replacing the radiator and condenser. Should end up saving enough that I might be able to have the clear coat on the roof redone as it looks like someone took a wire brush to it over the center of the windshield.
 
Here is what it looked like the day after.

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I will take a photo tonight after picking it up from the dealership. It looks really funky without the bumper cover and grill. Funny thing is it really didn't take all that long to remove the bumper cover and lower shroud. Also the lower grill was just popped out of place. No damage to it at all. At this point I have $1431 in parts and $360 in shipping. The radiator/ condenser replacement is going to run a bit over $400 which I expected which then leaves another approx $200 for the bumper cover (in Tulsa), an Upper Grill (Bezel around the Grill $60 + shipping) and a few incidental parts. (plastic fasteners etc.) I should have about $1700 left over for paint from insurance. I am going to try and find someone to paint the parts and redo the clear coat on the roof as it looks like someone took a wire brush to the clear coat in the center.
 
WOW what huge difference from the last time I was out that way!!!
So...Can I hire you to fix my piss poor lawn??!! :bigrin:
 
Duck said:
Looking good there moon.
Is your home a new or old build?
I love that style.
Duck
Click to expand...
Thanks Duck, it's very old house. Built 1895. Contractors tell me there's whole log construction throughout the house, from the floor joist to the rafters.
I got a shop out back that I'm fixing up for my "Man Cave" and storage. We got running water out there, power a ductless hvac unit. All the comforts of home.
Just finished building storage shelves for all the junk we have to keep.
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My support team is coming up to morrow to help me get things sorted out. Hopefully I'll be building models again in the very near future.
 
My van project is finally moving along. Got most of the parts last Friday. Did some work on the front end Tuesday by removing the damaged bumper cover and lower cover. Straightened the upper cross member back up. I am sure it isn't 100% perfect, but is close enough that you can't tell it was ever bent slightly. Wednesday and yesterday it was at the dealership getting the radiator and AC condensor that I bought installed. Would have done it myself, but just didn't want to deal with the fluids and all that. The amazing thing here is the bolt on parts are EASY. I probably saved $200 - $300 by stripping this down and saved $100 by straightening the cross member which was only slightly bent. For now I am $2600 into this repair and need to pay another $250 or so in parts. Then it is paint time. Will need to wait till next week to see if I can find someone decent to do the paint on the bumper cover (when I get it) and fender.

Radiator AC fix.jpg
 
The other side. On this side I was able to straighten the damaged fender up enough to be able to open the drivers door and mount the new headlight unit. Learned a lot about auto sheet metal back in the 80's working on old VW beetles. Hopefully by the end of the year I will have emptied my storage in Tulsa and will have the 77 custom back in my garage. It is going to need a lot of mechanical work and a new paint job, but after decades it will be back where I can work on it.

Radiator AC fix-1.jpg
 
Beautiful place Bob and the yard looks fantastic! 👏👌👌
We've been redoing the exterior of the house this summer and finally got it stained last weekend. The grass on the other hand is what it is...lol.
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Grass is quickly disappearing from yards in California. I just have a small front yard and it has bare spots Heavy clay and expensive water.
 
jeaton01 said:
Grass is quickly disappearing from yards in California. I just have a small front yard and it has bare spots Heavy clay and expensive water.
Click to expand...
John I visited the bay area in like April in 2018 I think it was. Was amazed how green the hills were then on the return in Aug, everything was brown. Even some burned spots.

@Tim A. the house looks great! Now throw some money at the yard and it'll turn green! :rotf
 
The bay area will stay seasonally green and brown like that because it is so close to the ocean, Over the hill (think Fairfield) you are then in a semi arid climate. Without irrigation it would be void of green all year, except maybe early spring.
 
I was at Travis AFB in August of 2004... everything was brown.

almost as dreary as Iraq in July.
 
Your yard looks great!! We had to get a spray service to get our yard under control. No matter how much weed and feed we used. Here in N. GA, we all have Bermuda grass. The yard and some tomatoes and other veggies are my other hobby too. Gary S.
 
Cindy keeps talking about some 'mater plants and she's wanting to put them out in a section that has no water feed. I told her to get some of those grow boxes first and see how she does with that before trying to plant a full on garden.
 
Yeah..I planted a garden once...then I went to the grocery store. Stuff magically grows on the shelves!! LOL.
But really I helped my grandfather many years with his garden, they require a lot of work and water depending on what you grow.
 
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