. I'm continuing to take care of stuff that needs doing, stuff that' s been deferred for a while now.
It feels good to be knocking some of these things off.
These are completed projects since starting on them last spring, beginning with the most recent:
1. Leaking heating oil tank replacement
2. Repair (rotting wood trim, mouse chewed screen) of basement window.
3. New footers for the listing tool shed
4. Repair of side garage window where water collected, leading to rotting wood trim.
5. Kitchen cabinet refinishing
6. New kitchen faucet and stainless steel sink
7. Repair of back patio leaky faucet
8. Replacement of washing machine hose shut-off valve.
Today the woman who specializes in exclusion of rodents (not just poison or traps) came and marked 13 individual holes where they could (or have?) gotten in. She said that wasn't too bad for a house as old as mine. I had to pay for today's inspection, and then she'll return next week to plug all the holes. It was her father's business. I hope it actually works. I would be thrilled as I've been dealing with mice in the basement for many years. I won't really know until October when it gets cold. I showed her the one area where I know they were coming in as the cats would sit there for hours, waiting.
She's not cheap, but she's actually a lot less expensive than the one other company I'd found a number of years back who made a speciality of exclusion, and he was VERY expensive but I was willing to throw money at this problem. In the end, he was so busy in his town and didn't want to drive as far as my town, a distance of about an hour.
Also next week will be first treatment of my giant hemlock tree for wooly adelgid. This tree has somehow survived for 28 years with wooly adelgid, much longer than it's supposed to from what I've read. I did pay to have dormant oil spray twice, I think, soon after I bought the house, but after that, I stopped, becus the tree is so large I didn't think they'd be able to cover it from all sides.
And I'm not sure they had this trunk spray treatment, which the arborist said is very effective, available 30 years ago. He said my tree is only about 25% dead, whereas I'd estimated 50% or more. I had actually been anticipating having to pay to have it taken down, which would be much more expensive than the cost of doing the trunk spray.
Once the insects are under control, the tree will slowly grow back new needles in the bare spots. But they want you to treat every year, actually twice a year. I need to read more about it to be sure. He had urged me to also spend hundreds of extra dollars on fertilizer for the hemlock, and I have since come across advice NOT to fertilize an infested tree. I feel like you have to be so careful to vet everything you're told so you don't spend money needlessley.
Next Year
Next year, I already know I want to focus on:
1. Replacement of new front door with a pretty fiberglass door (the most energy-efficient) and maybe back door as well.
My cousin is coming out for a vist in a few weeks from PA. I asked him to go car shopping with me at the dealer. I highly doubt I would actually make a purchase at this time, but I wouldn't mind taking my vehicle of choice out for a test drive.
Tomorrow a friend and i are traveling to southwestern massachusetts to visit a butterfly conservatory I've always to check out.