Apple's not using the potty.
At all.
He toileted better as a newborn than he does now.
That's all I have to say on the matter.
Besides this one thing: "Ew."
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Hanging a Pulley Clothesline
When you don't own a clothes dryer, one of the first things you do at a new place is string a clothesline. The first one we put up here was really entirely under the two trees it was hung between, and a good portion of our clean clothes didn't stay clean for long. (Birds.) So we hung the pulley clothesline from the flagpole, strung over to a pole we erected at the deck.
One of my readers (cough Hi Mom cough) is looking to do up a pulley line, and this is the easiest way for me to write up a book report on my clothesline, so anyone bored to tears by tales of my clothes drying adventures can go read xkcd or something today instead of Jack in CT.
So here be the clothesline.
It's looooong so we use three double-pulley pincher things that may or may not have a real name but I don't know it so they're double-pulley pincher things around here.
I recommend synthetic material for the clothesline. Our original cotton stretched and stretched and stretched and sagged and sagged and broke. Replacing the line was a nerve-wracking process, since we can't reach the far pulley. But we put up nylon or polypropylene or something and it doesn't sag as badly, and it hasn't yet broken.
The near pulley:
It is slipped over a screw-end hook driven into a wooden post. We didn't want the line to hang right over the deck railing, so we affixed it to the back end of the post, not the side. Therefore the pulley points perpendicular to the face of the post. To stabilize it against rocking, we tapped a nail through the little hole underneath the pulley. The wooden block the nail is driven into helps hold the pulley out on the correct position on the hook. It also let us use a shorter nail under the pulley. I don't remember which of these functions came first, actually.
It may not look real elegant but it works.
Our other end is hooked to a loop on a flag pole many yards away and of less interest to someone using wooden posts at each end.
That's pretty much it, I think. Here are some "hey you made it through this post!" photos and bonus video.
One of my readers (cough Hi Mom cough) is looking to do up a pulley line, and this is the easiest way for me to write up a book report on my clothesline, so anyone bored to tears by tales of my clothes drying adventures can go read xkcd or something today instead of Jack in CT.
So here be the clothesline.
 |
| excitement! it is, actually, exciting to be able to walk away from the clothes dryer machine again except we do use it for the "fiddlies" - the socks/underwear/hankies load |
It's looooong so we use three double-pulley pincher things that may or may not have a real name but I don't know it so they're double-pulley pincher things around here.
 |
| vestments swayin in the breeze I recommend having some of the solid-style clothespins around and placing one on either side of each double-pulley pincher thing. This keeps your clothes from getting sucked into the pulley and gumming up the works. |
 |
| The solid clothespins are also useful for braking the clothesline if you live in a goddamn wind tunnel. On a day with anything stronger than a zephyr, we must use multiple clothespins top and bottom. Not strictly necessary to do- depends on how you feel about listening to the squeak of your pulleys as the wind carries your clothesline out and back, out and back... |
 |
| I took this unnecessary photo so you're getting it. |
I recommend synthetic material for the clothesline. Our original cotton stretched and stretched and stretched and sagged and sagged and broke. Replacing the line was a nerve-wracking process, since we can't reach the far pulley. But we put up nylon or polypropylene or something and it doesn't sag as badly, and it hasn't yet broken.
The near pulley:
It is slipped over a screw-end hook driven into a wooden post. We didn't want the line to hang right over the deck railing, so we affixed it to the back end of the post, not the side. Therefore the pulley points perpendicular to the face of the post. To stabilize it against rocking, we tapped a nail through the little hole underneath the pulley. The wooden block the nail is driven into helps hold the pulley out on the correct position on the hook. It also let us use a shorter nail under the pulley. I don't remember which of these functions came first, actually.
It may not look real elegant but it works.
Our other end is hooked to a loop on a flag pole many yards away and of less interest to someone using wooden posts at each end.
 |
| Sometimes bluebirds perch on the flagpole and I'm torn between admiring them and twanging the line to shoo them off. I unapologeticly twang robins. |
That's pretty much it, I think. Here are some "hey you made it through this post!" photos and bonus video.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Garden Report: Past Last Frost (We Damn Well Hope)
A video report from the garden beds, with some photos, is posing as my blog post today. Also, me with a giant crate of apples because I can't resist a good theme week.
 |
| I always intend to harden my plants off properly but it never quite happens. An hour on the deck the day before planting is enough, right? |
 |
| Hose (mostly) laid, awaiting plants! |
 |
| yummy yettuce |
 |
| Swiss Chard needs to grow FASTER, I'm HUNGRY |
 |
| peeeeaaaas! |
 |
| teeny kale |
 |
| We put out 4 of our plum tomatoes and 4 of our cherry tomatoes. We'll harden the rest off over the next few days and put them out then. Hedging our bets, and staggering the work. |
 |
| Forgot this was coming, didn't you? |
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Me Rocking the Gift Bows in my Hair and Contemplating Birthday Cake
 |
| the momentum's there and I have nothing to say today that's more interesting than this photograph |
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Me Wearing A Straw Hat and Climbing in a Big Tire
 |
| because I don't feel like blogging and this is a step above total neglect plus it amuses me |
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)