Random crap with Uno.

[Unorthodox]

I finally have a home laptop again so MIGHT be able to get around to fixing things.

[Unorthodox]

Tell us about your gardening/yard this summer.  That's Uno art, too. 

Now that, well, there’s some background needed. 

2010ish. Working in Arizona.  Mostly got involved with a church renovation in my down time, molding and casting gargoyles, because how often does one get to work on actual gargoyles. 

But also asked about, was invited to watch a study by NAU on adapting watering techniques, soil composition, and plantings to maintain green spaces in the desert.  I filed a lot of that aside for later, and critically, began working some of the results into my lawn at the time.  I couldn’t afford the full bore modification but could hopefully get there with patience. 

Also began the pumpkin party that has now basically become THE uno thing for Halloween.

2016.  House expansion destroyed side and back yards. Also co worker was hired.  We’re gonna call them Bill. 

Now, they offered me Bill’s job as a sideways move before hiring.  I DID NOT WANT. I liked my area of expertise.

2018:  It became clear I’m racing against the clock with the kids growing and less slave labor at home I need to simplify/make a permanent setup to keep doing Halloween at the yard.  I envisioned immediately a fire pit area, gazebo/covered patio, and permanent path around the house.   We set our sights on 1/2, fixing the back and side yards.

Unfortunately there was family starting a landscaping business and this was going to be one of those things you could put as a portfolio showpiece.  They blew the budget horrendously bad, we ended up finishing things ourselves.

Meanwhile Bill had the first…event.  As the paramedics wheeled him out he was referencing me as being Abraham Lincoln. Not a joke.  Literally thought I was Lincoln.  This started a spiral of me starting to take more of Bills work. 

2020 original planned start to finish the path around the front of the house.  Little distraction that year delayed start.  Original gazebo in back damaged. Noted increased wind issues all round. Bill a big no masker is one of first infected before vaccines.

2022 start conceptualizing a second circle for the front yard, not just a path.  Begin testing lawn alternatives and other plants for not just a path but to landscape the front specifically for the Halloween walkthrough.  Budget issues due to insert house disaster delay. 

Bill delays retirement with me taking more of the work. 

2023:  work delayed again for budget, don’t recall details.  Focus on side garden beds instead. More testing of future plants.

2024:  spring water heater dies.  There goes budget.  Bill forced to retire. Uno gets Promotion to take that roll (yes, capitalized). Takes 3 months to backfill old roll. 

Summer, decide it’s 2025 or bust., begin final phase of soil prep by mulching the entire lawn.  Multiple wind challenges with THAT much sheet compost resulted in a super mega tarp of impossible size to cover the entire yard being required.

Spring 2025: remove tarps, and bear witness to the results. 

Find farmer with a tractor to come till the yard.  Farmer asks what on earth I’ve done to the soil.  It’s softer and healthier than most farms, but also clearly nutrient dense and evened moisture content he’s not seen before.  15 years of slowly adding the coconut and worm casings has indeed yielded the same results as the bulk distribution used at NAU. 

[Unorthodox]

Hm.  It appears to not want pics from my phone….

[Unorthodox]

Test

[Unorthodox]

Hm. 

[Buster's Uncle]

This is the first thing I find in a quick skim back that is not linkrot of someone else's pics...  There's a lot of this in recent years of Uno's own photos...

This pretty much sums up our Halloween perfectly:



The modest (by our standards) display: 


Since I haven't posted the full altar of greed since 2005...(note social distance markers on the driveway)



Yes, them be individually packaged doughnuts.  The local grocer always makes us doughnuts, they were kind enough to include individual packs for us this year. (and gave me a discount to our agreed upon price even)



Lake Tahoe jacket is Kyle's +1.  That's relatively new, but we like her so far.

[Unorthodox]

that didn't even try...

[Unorthodox]

[Unorthodox]

well that is just WEIRD. 

[Unorthodox]

This is the first thing I find in a quick skim back that is not linkrot of someone else's pics...  There's a lot of this in recent years of Uno's own photos...

This pretty much sums up our Halloween perfectly:



The modest (by our standards) display: 


Since I haven't posted the full altar of greed since 2005...(note social distance markers on the driveway)



Yes, them be individually packaged doughnuts.  The local grocer always makes us doughnuts, they were kind enough to include individual packs for us this year. (and gave me a discount to our agreed upon price even)



Lake Tahoe jacket is Kyle's +1.  That's relatively new, but we like her so far.

[Buster's Uncle]

I should make you a SINISTER thread icon, shouldn't I?  Not a big huge job...

[Unorthodox]

Essentially looks like my 2020 pics have slipped into a 2021-02 file on my host for some unkown reason, but it didn't bugger my website.

[Unorthodox]

and thank you note from a trick or treater will always make my year. 

[Unorthodox]

Yup....

Not especially.  Going to be another year focused on non-halloween projects. 

2016 remodel house
2018 a large part of the yard put together. 

Among the goals of 2018 was a covered patio, and it's time to make a much more permanent solution to that after the current gazebo collapsed this winter.  We've often had a gazebo like you see in stores and they usually last a few years.  This one had been damaged in a wind storm, replaced the roof, and slowly come damaged in other storms til it finally collapsed this winter.  Though, that collapse is largely due to kids not going out to shovel the roof when told to....

All that said, we're looking for a much more solid solution this time with a hurricane winds and 30" snow load steel roof monstrousity that will anchor permanently to the patio as the primary project/budget piece this year. 

https://www.backyarddiscovery.com/collections/gazebos/products/16x12-barrington-gazebo?variant=39873267728519

It's going to literally require a barn raising party to build. 

Then we still have about 1/4 of the easement xeriscaping to finish.  We have a good chunk of the material purchased, and while I was waiting for snow to melt, it is now waiting for a good weekend to work it. 

From THERE, it's time to start planning the permanent xeriscape/landscaping of the front lawn/yard. 

Features of the front plan: 

Another stone circle
sacrificial altar in the center.  Or stone table.  Depends on your point of view. 
Finish permanent path from side yard all the way around the yard. 
After lots of thought on design and how it relates, have realized we can't give up the negative space a lawn allots for Halloween purposes, so looking at a thyme lawn. 
Ideally burning bush accents if I can transplant the 2 burning bushes that have never been watered in the time we've lived here from the side of the garage. 
Saving the milkweed corner if possible.
automated sprinkler system. 
Redoing the back yard path after some downsides to that stonework have become apparent.
repurposing path stone into an arch and possibly fence. 
cleanup and finish building of raised beds in the garden. 
possible creation of greenhouse. 

This is likely a multi-year project. 

[Unorthodox]

Test

nope don't see option to embed uploads? 

edit: