Northern weather

[robert.]

No sun for the last 5 days.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

No sun for the last 5 days.

Must be getting really cold there.....

[healey36]

That killed the dinosaurs the last time.

[chuck]

It was like 70 this morning and sticky. Then the wind turned around about 2PM and it started getting cloudy, weird layers of clouds scuttling through. I was trying to patch a hole some dumb *'d bird drilled through a roof edge facia board (there was a knot that it knocked out). Stupid bird was lost up in the attic and had trouble finding its way out. It was gray and cold previous two days but today was sunny so it could find the exit. I wrestled the ladder out and then when to patch the hole up and couldn't find the hardware cloth and the waterproof wood filler was as hard as a rock. Quick trip to Ace and I got the patch done but realized that I need the rope caulk to finish the job. By now it's starting to get ugly. Another quick trip to Ace as the sky get's ominously dark. As I step off the latter I can hear thunder rumbling just to the north of us. Get the ladder down and folded up and get the bucket of tools in the garage as it starts to rain.

The "Little Giant" ladder is pretty useful but it's also a bit heavier than the standard extension ladder it replaced. It is steadier but is a pain to horse around. There is a 50/50 chance you'll set it up wrong and have to rotate it to use it (it had a definite front and back but the hinged center makes it easy to pick the wrong end/side). Old ladder had "knobs" that went against the house. This has four rubber feet. If you put it up wrong you have to flip it to be able to climb it. It's also easier to store in the garage.

Last two days were rainy so I lost the advantage on leaf cleanup. I was a head of the game talking turns on front yard and back yard every other day. Now it's just a ton of wet leaves in both sides. Cest le vie.

[healey36]

Yeah, but did you get the bird out of the attic?

[chuck]

Yeah, it left in the morning when the sun was out (or it died). I'm not picky. It made noise trying to get out the last two days.

There's 2 feet of fiber glass batting. (R50) and five roof vents and six polystyrene soffit channel stapled to the lower roof deck. It either got out or it got dead. If the latter it will desiccate shortly.

The R50 is pretty amazing. I installed it over loose R25 about 15 years ago. As I lay out the bats cross wise to the rafters and installed the soffit channels the open air space got cooler and cooler while the second floor rooms got warmer and warmer. It seems to help the roofing tiles as well. No more wide swings in temperature. The roof deck stays about the same on the top (outside) as it does on the inside/underside. I have to use the roof rake to clear snow as there isn't much heat transfer.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Another day raking leaves...........

Gardening, moving and planting stuff.....

[healey36]

Temps are supposed to drop 30 degrees between today and tomorrow. Better get the planting done pronto.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Temps are supposed to drop 30 degrees between today and tomorrow. Better get the planting done pronto.

All done. All I could do before I ran out of gas and stressed my back. Son found a yellow jacket nest the hard way in the front garden

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I recommend a product called"Tat," which I have used at insects in-flight, afoot, and also for their nests. I especially enjoy its gruesome feature, which, near as I can discern , starts dissolving them immediately. In fact, I used it while relaxing on the deck against a simple Housefly, a couple days ago, not being sure if it would be effective against it as it was inflight. Dropped him quickly .

I used it, a couple years ago, against a wasp nest that I discovered tucked-away in the underside of the deck; dropped every one of them. No wasps since then.

I've seen the "dissolving" factor most evident against Arachnida when I have hit the used-to-be-present wigglers, esp. this time of year, as they head indoors for their winter vacation, the occasional centipede or spider scampering across the broadloom. Tat zap !!!!!! and they don't make it three wiggles further. They die right in front of me.

Btw , I also ORTHO along the inside of the house, all along the walls, and especially at windows , at this time of year to catch the spiders on their way in, and the centipedes who pursue them. Tat and gone.

P.S. Some years ago, when it was pointed out to us by a pest-control company that the woodchips we had on the ground around every shrub (back when the deer allowed us to have them) and tree were the preferred environment for spiders and their pursuers, the centipedes, to spend the warm months in, and thus were a draw to such creatures, I had every chip of it removed thoroughly and replaced some of it with white granite chips/mini-chunks. I think that helped.

[HONDO74]

Crews work to destroy 1st 'murder hornet' nest discovered in US: Officials
https://abcnews.go.com/US/nest-murder-h ... d=73791624

Crews in Washington state on Saturday worked to destroy the first Asian giant hornet nest found in the United States, a day after officials announced the discovery.

The "murder hornets" were first spotted in the state late last year, and entomologists have since been on alert for the massive insects, which can devastate honey bee populations.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

A day of hard rain and more rain today. Got all but the big cacti in the under the lights for the winter. Those come in tomorrow. Lights seemed a little sluggish today......

Glad I got the leaves up yesterday, but the oaks have yet to really drop their leaves, so more next week probably after this cold snap coming through Fri/Sat.

Puttering about in the shop and the flame has gone out on the writing lamp. Guess I'll read a bit and maybe spend the afternoon cooking potatoes & onions, and a big pot of chili....

[healey36]

Dumped out the rain gauge about twenty minutes ago...a bit more than an inch and it's still raining, although a bit lighter. Cleaned all of the gutters out yesterday in preparation. I really need to find a good solution for that, as I can see my days of clambering up the ladder and occasionally onto the roof are numbered. The real solution is to get the trees hacked back from the house.

A big tray of mac-n-cheese prepped for this evening. Always good on a raw evening.

The boy called and said 5-8 inches of snow expected in Albany tomorrow. Better him than me.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Dumped out the rain gauge about twenty minutes ago...a bit more than an inch and it's still raining, although a bit lighter. Cleaned all of the gutters out yesterday in preparation. I really need to find a good solution for that, as I can see my days of clambering up the ladder and occasionally onto the roof are numbered. The real solution is to get the trees hacked back from the house.

A big tray of mac-n-cheese prepped for this evening. Always good on a raw evening.

Yup; bowl of chili and a plate of potatoes and onions......

The boy called and said 5-8 inches of snow expected in Albany tomorrow. Better him than me.

Going to get cold tomorrow night.....

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Some serious wind last night and still today; some decent sized branches down and luckily none hitting windows...hopefully this will dry out everything so we can go out and rake leaves yet again! Whoopee!