Spring Cleaning & Gardening

The double combination of warm weather and daylight savings time is motivating us to get a lot of things done around the house that have been piling up. Kristin has been doing a lot of spring cleaning inside, while I’ve been working on maintenance and outdoor items.

For example, today I moved the washer and dryer, removed all the dust and lint that had collected there, cleaned out the exhaust duct, and replaced the exhaust vent hose. One lesson learned… the next time we build a house, the washer and dryer will not be wedged into the far end of the room. I had to pull out the washer and dryer, climb over and behind them, wrap myself around the various hoses, and try and replace the hose. It was worth it though. Kristin fired up the dryer, and it was noticeable how much more air was flowing to the outside vent.

I’ve also been working on a raised bed made of cedar for a vegetable garden. The ground around here is all clay, so I figured a raised bed was the way to go to get some decent soil. The cedar frame is done and in place. I’ve also put together a metal frame made of 0.5″ galvanized water pipe to use as vertical supports for tomatoes. I picked up a book called Square Foot Gardening which tied in nicely with the space with which I have to work. The garden itself is 4’x4′, and the book has you divide your garden into one foot squares, with something planted in each square. You can check out their web site. So we’ll see how things go. I’ll post a couple photos so you can see what Farmer Scott is up to.