60+ year old thread.

You got that right. My list keeps growing.

 

Mark - Does the stacked stone foundation go down into the ground below that sill? Wooden frame buildings hate the wet - especially wet earth. Preservation of the other sills can add another century of life. Shallow drainage tube and gravel around the perimeter might gain some of that future life back.

We had friends and neighbors in both Illinois and Ohio that battled to save their wooden structures with stonework and timber frames - hard work to get things under control. Our friends in Henry County Illinois had a beautiful "bank" barn - and ground hogs undermined the stone foundation at one corner, started a lot of problems. It was a major project to get it under control - I hate to think of how many tons we were bracing up to work under there!

 

Good Morning Porch People! Slow start, but who's timing anyway?

Quite the undertaking Mark! I don't have anything that big to work on (which is probably good!) Mike's right - my little notebook is seldom at a loss for things to do. Off to Lowe's today for stuff for the next project - other materials start arriving Thursday.

Just read this week about drainage for a vacation home in Family Handyman - indeed, some of that perforated drain pipe, and grade 5 gravel outside the foundation to take that moisture away is highly recommended. Probably with one of your mechanical helpers, one of the easier thing in the fixit.

Have a great day all!

 

We have mountain lions to keep the coyote population in check.

Still a ton of cottontails and jackrabbits in the area.

My Jalapeno plants were doing great, but some silly raccoon (?) likes it spicy and kept coming back to raid the plant! Need to plant some ghost pepper.

Kurt. Nice looking BBQ. My eating habits have been odd for the last month, trying to eat healthy without driving my wife crazy. Just need to sneak off for Taco or BBQ for lunch.

 

Why did you have your pet cats toes amputated?

 

I'm still trying to get past the fact that someone is feeding feral cats so they can live in misery and raise more litters to live in misery.

 

On the other hand they are feeding hungry animals.
When you feed a hungry animal you feed your own soul.

 

Sorry... but I call bulls**t on that. I've had the litters of starving kittens show up on my doorstep more than is reasonable. Eyes crusted shut, bones sticking through skin that is practically hairless and so thin that it's a wonder the bones don't come through, and the kittens staggering because they are so weak that they can barely walk.

And the county shelter puts down an average of a hundred fifty cats every three months. You want to know what the average adoption rate is??? That's a big zero cats adopted on average. They are ALL euthanized.

Cats using my garden for a litter box, and fighting all night. Cats with injuries and diseases.

And on my ranch it was even worse. Damn city people dumping their cats because "Oh, farms can always use another cat." I tried trapping them all and taking them to the shelter, but I couldn't afford the gas or the time unless I stuck them in a crate for days to accumulate... and then I would have to feed and water them taking time away from the business that fed my family. A bullet became the only reasonable option. In the end I even figured out that it was kinder. At least the terrified cats didn't have to be brought into the shelter in a cage after being trapped, just to be euthanized anyway.

 

Good morning, everyone! Lots of rain here overnight.

The stable was set on stacked stone. Mostly still in place but I'll replace some and dig out an area where the ground seems to have increased over the stone and put the stone back. Good though on the drainage - might just add some gravel and run a pipe beyond the perimeter.

Working on the inside today.

Stay safe.

 

Because if I didnt I wouldnt have any furniture. They still scratch on everything even without front claws. My cats are fat and happy and well cared for. I took a whole litter in when I moved into the house. They where all under the porch. I feed the outside cats so that they at least have food to eat. I cant save them all but at least I can give them some food and water, the basics of life. The ferals have a hard life and dont usually live for very many years. Winters are hard on them too. My inside cats never go outside because they would be exposed to diseases the ferral may carry that would be fatal. I tried to find some assistance to capturing the ferrals and getting them spayed and neutered but had no luck with that, even contacted animal control. I have captured some of the kittens when they are small and adopted them out to people that where looking for a pet. But it's a hard thing to do because of the timing, you have to catch them at about 6 weeks or when they first start eating solid food or they are hard to domesticate and not very friendly. I dont handle the ferrals, they are Leary of humans and keep there distance. But they know I am the one that puts food out for them.

 

Or you could just euthanize them.

 

Good Morning Porch Folks! Barn progress sounds good Col. A French drain for the foundation would probably make it worth while, and be INTERNATIONAL to boot!

Starting a new project. Won't get too hot, that's for sure!



Finally ordered the rest of my suspension parts to go with those long awaited shocks! Saved myself $200 by taking advantage of a new card offer from one of my existing cards. Well, why not?

 

I don't kill animals just because I can. Every creature is just trying to survive. I'm a hunter and hunt ethically and I've taken my share of deer, rabits, and birds. So it's not that I'm against killing animals it's just only when needed in my eyes. The wild cats cause me no harm and keep the other pest down. A short distance from me they have a huge rodent problem, but not here. So I feed them, so what.

 

Nothing wrong with feeding feral cats. I leave food out for them as do some other neighbors. I and some others take it a step further. There are clinics and facilities that will spay or neuter feral cats for free or a very minimal fee. I and neighbors have trapped some of them and gotten them spayed/neutered. They clip the top of one of their ears so everyone can tell which ones are fixed. Some of these feral cats have been around here for a couple of years, appear to be thriving , and have become quite friendly but not to the point of complete domestication. Absolutely nothing wrong with feeding and showing a little compassion for these unfortunate maligned furry critters.

 

I figure the cat I started feeding is paying me back by eating mice he finds in and around my truck, costing me less in the long run. Although I feed him every day, he's only caught 3 mice that I know of, so he owes me big time. I figure Skeezix is saving me big bucks, not having to replace the knock sensor wiring harness. That's right, I named him that.. straight out of Gasoline Alley.

Oh and thanks a lot Toyota, and all the other vehicle makers, for switching to soy based wire insulation.

 

Sorry guys... but if you think feeding feral cats is a good idea you might want to find out what the realities are in the downside.

I like cats too... and have had one we just lost a year ago that was 20 years old.

The bottom line is that feeding feral cats increases the populations and that means more misery for the survivors... and ultimately more deaths overall.

 

Just a quick hello from Lake Louise British Alberta Canada.

 

Evening all:
Hope you're enjoying the vacation Tom!

 

Good morning everyone!!! Living the good life and trying to stay dry here in northeast PA! Stay safe out there!