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I am Sandra - faithful steward. listener. shepherd. dream believer. hard worker. collects brass bells, boots. Jesus follower. contented. star gazer. homemaker. farmer. prayer warrior. country woman. reader. traveler. writer. homebody. living life large.

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Boring and Bummed Out



No problem admitting this...I am a boring woman. I tend to stay on the farm, doing things that need doing in order to (right now) put the farm and house to bed for the winter. Today was a good day, mostly, but I am so bummed out. More to come on that later; right now, I'm talking about Quikrete and the places in the limestone foundation that, over the years, have crumbled and fallen out. 
 I've never used Quikrete before so it's new to me but, hey, I bake so how hard can it be, right? -grin- Quikrete comes in 40 or 80 pound bags but, of course, the feed store only had 80 pound bags. Oh boy. I'm sure to regret this tomorrow, my shoulders and back are already getting tight and, around here, the only help I have are the dogs and they don't carry. The "recipe" calls for 80 pounds of Quikrete and 6 quarts of water but there was no way I could make up that much and use it before it hardened. So, I mixed it up, small amounts at a time so I could take a bit longer packing it into the foundation. I haven't a clue how much Quikrete I used nor how much water I used but I mixed it until it looked ready to use. 

Some of the places that needed mortar were huge and I cannot believe it's taken us me this long to figure out...duh...Quikrete! It's a fast acting concrete and it can be colored but not by me. Frankly, I think I'm brilliant for having gotten this far. snicker...
This was the largest place that needed patching and, I'm pretty sure a professional would say, "Um, not such a great job." Frankly, it looks great to me! It's already hardened and I'm hopeful it's going to last a long time. Or, until I sell the farm and move, which ever comes first. It should help with the heating bills this winter...hallelujah!
This side of the house is the side that gets the worst weather; it also had the most places to patch. There are a few more places, opposite side of the house, but it can wait until later this week.
 Donald, Mary's husband, came over Saturday and picked up my lawn mower to sharpen the blades and do some other stuff. Today, he came back, repaired lawn mower on his trailer and, while he was here, he put together my John Deere wagon. This wagon was a fabulous thrift store purchase and now, totally able to be used since Donald put it together. Yay, Donald!

I helped but not enough to brag about.
 Finished! Doesn't it look fabulous? It's heavy and, using the handlebar, can be either pushed or pulled, or attached to a hitched and towed behind my Polaris Ranger or JD lawn mower...suweeet! 

On Saturday, I bought this iron wood rack; paid a whooping $20 for it and think it'll hold a week to two weeks worth of wood. It's going to be so nice, having the wood up off the porch! Donald delivered it and we set it on the back porch. Now, to get it filled with wood so I'm ready for the first snow storm. 

 Now for the bummed part...the circle is where my dusk to dawn light used to be. For some reason, it stopped working so was removed and taken to Lowe's where they said, "Okay, we'll replace it." For the record, let me state how much I enjoy dealing with Lowe's. The staff is almost always helpful, generally knows what they're doing and, whenever I've had to return stuff, they work with me to a satisfactory end. Thanks, Lowe's!

Big, strong, handsome Lowe's man says he thinks the sensor button went out and was going to replace the button. Then, big, strong, handsome Lowe's mans' boss said, "Naw, let's just replace the whole thing." Yahooooo!


Today, I decided to put up the dusk to dawn light but, having never messed with electricity...too frightened...I made a basic mistake. I didn't throw the break box so when I touched the black wire...shivver me timbers! It lit up my little world. Fortunately, it was a little light up so I didn't fall, nor jump, off the ladder. Thank You, God.

I turned off the breaker, connected all the wires...white to white, black to black, ground to ground and screwed the light to the building. I sat on the back porch until dusk, waiting for that dang light to come on but nooooooooo. Didn't happen. I want to cry. It's still dark, the light isn't working and tomorrow, I'm going to try again. Hopefully, it'll be something simple, like a crimped wire. If not, I haven't a clue what I'm going to do. I'm boring and bummed out. Totally.

Blessings ~ didn't get my hair curled when not turning off the breaker ~ a new wood rack ~ a new wagon ~ Quikrete ~ holes plugged in the house limestone foundation ~ 

17 comments:

  1. My, you have been venturing out to projects unknown! Good for you!

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  2. Anonymous4:23 AM EDT

    I hope the light is an easy fix. So frustrating.

    I think you did a great job with quikrete.

    I love your thrift store wagon.

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  3. Glad you are not crispy!
    I let DH handle wiring. I do the plumbing instead. If anything ever happens to DH I suppose I will have to learn wiring.

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  4. Oh I hope you get your light fixed it will be something simple you are brave to mess with it Hug B

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  5. I say you did a great job with the patching. I like doing those little jobs around the house, it makes me feel independent and capable. But never with electricity. NEVER. You are soooo lucky you weren't zapped and thrown off that ladder!!

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  6. We use Quikrete for so many patches around our abode too. It's great stuff but hard to mix. I'm sure it'll all work fine.

    My father was an electrician, my husband can wire a house, and I'm a good goofer. [ha ha] For the electricity, do be sure to always turn off the breaker first. You're lucky it was only a warning shot from the wire. I carry a voltage meter to check first before handling any potential live wires. Now, all those lights have a 'test' mode to insure the light is in working order. Check to be sure the light is in the correct "mode". And try the test. It'll show if it's actually working. Also, check that the power is on to that circuit. If all these fail, try rewiring it again (could be a crimped wire as stated above). Test again. If the light still doesn't function, remove and go back to Lowe's for a new one. Sometimes they are defective from the factory. Good luck!

    Luv ~:)

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  7. It's hard when things DON'T WORK, esp. when we've endured pain to make them work! Sorry :( But I do think your quikrete looks great, and it's nice to have a tight, sturdy foundation. And the wagon is beautiful! I'm sure you'll figure out the light. You're amazing!

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  8. Sorry about the light, Sandra... but glad you didn't get fried! *YIKES*
    You did a wonderful job with the Quikrete~ we've been pouring a little curb to hold our gravel road back when it rains, and I'm the mixer. I never seem to get the right consistency at first, but I keep trying!

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  9. Breaker back on. switch turned on, no plastic protective film cover on the sensor? Glad you were not catapulted off the ladder getting zapped. Good luck on finding the problem.

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  10. Just for the heck of it...did you flip the circuit breaker back on? (Voice of experience here.)
    Great job with the foundation repairs! I should probably look at my foundation one of these days? Meanwhile, I woke up from a nightmare this morning, in which I stepped outside to meet a hay delivery and found a couple feet of snow on the ground. It was SO REAL.

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  11. Oh my gosh- that "put up the light" story could have ended in a bad way-thank goodness you are ok! Surely someone can fix this for you!!

    You are amazing in all the ways you tend to that farm and all that it requires. You are like a little squirrel getting ready for winter-- only busier!!

    Stay safe-- crossing my fingers your light gets fixed--
    Vicki

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  12. You are so totally amazing ... and glad you are ok.

    (I often feel boring.)

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  13. For the record, I don't find you boring at all -- I respect what you are doing. Big hugs my friend.

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  14. filling the gaps of your foundation isn't an easy task and you completed the job with awesome results. pat yourself on the back, if your shoulders can allow the movement after lugging 80 lb bags of cement mix. :)

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  15. Leigh, I'm way out of my comfort zone -grin.

    Mildred, the wagon was a great purchase and thank you.

    Vic, I learn something every day; fortunately, God keeps me safe.

    Buttons, brave or stupid one -grin.

    Kim, God kept me safe and, like you, I enjoy doing things that keep me independent. Hard work though.

    Sparky, thanks for the suggestions, will try them.

    MK, the foundation fix worked rather well; still working on the light...

    Paula, it's harder than it looks, isn't it?

    TL, I'm still working on it and thanks!

    Quinn, yes and will again but still not sure what the problem is.

    Vicki, trying to stay safe, trying!

    Glenda, thank you but don't feel amazing, maybe tired -grin.

    Nancy, you've been in my thoughts and prayers lately...more later.

    jAne, it was't too bad but I felt the effects of that 80 pounds bag.

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  16. Thank goodness you didn't get yourself fried when you changed out the light fixture. I'm a weeny too when it comes to electricity. You've got a lot of other positive things going on, so one bump in the road isn't all that bad. You'll get it figured out!

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  17. Donna, not getting myself killed was a real blessing -grin-. I'm still working on the light, can't get it and not sure what I'm doing wrong.

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