Spring is in the air and we're building a Greenhouse from old Windows

Spring is in the air in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Daffodils are in full bloom and I've been posting the progress as they open on my photography Tumblr blog, 30 days of Daffodils. The Forsythia is bright yellow all over our neighborhood and the pink peach tree blooms have opened and are filling the air. We did have a frightful event yesterday when we experienced Graupel, on a 50 degree day lit began to hail! Such starts and stops are routine when Spring rolls around.

Graupel event, March 26, 2022

I didn't bother to write my annual 2021 year in review, Covid put a damper on most activities and I can't report any exciting updates. We did continue to removed old drafty wooden windows from our house and install replacements. I hate removing any solid materials from a home, but it's a 70's split-level so not much historically to get upset about. The exciting news is that we're using our collected stash of these windows to finally build a 90% reclaimed greenhouse!

My first greenhouse was attached to our old 1930's home, we didn't have recycled materials so we used what was cheapest and using a roll of plastic we built a double wall greenhouse with purchased 2 x 4's. It wasn't particularly attractive, only functional. We hauled in huge metal tanks, filled them with water for solar gain and used it as the base for work benches but we still often had to fire up the kerosene heater in the winter.

Husband had to remove and rework stairway

Our new lean-to greenhouse is currently under construction. My husband has 3 walls up and left to complete is installing siding, a door, and roof panels. We fortunately hit the jackpot and hauled in 3 car loads of solid wood from a 1940's roof demolition that we're using for framing and the roof rafters. Our only purchases have been Tuftex roof panels, nails, and screws. The cost for framing materials is at an all time high with no sign of relief in the near future. Regardless, I prefer to use recycled materials and am lucky that my husband willingly was on board as he had to do the lifting and nail removal. Back in the 40's they used big wide planks for the top of the roof instead of plywood so the materials are amazing.

As Anthony builds, I work on a little flower bed next to the greenhouse, trying to not hit buried electrical lines which I've been known to do. Removing a jumble of a dying overgrown Viburnum, Creeping Jenny, Creeping Charlie, and Black Eyed Susan. I'm left when an open pallet to correct the old mess. I did leave 2 native climbers one being a delicate Wild Yam. I've divided some of my Iris, Daylilies, and Sweet Box and reworked a some Black Eyed Susan, my dwarf Carnival Rose bush, Daffodils, Dwarf Hosta and other perennials. I purchased a Mars grape plant this year and hope to trellis it beside the Greenhouse. I also purchased a colorful Spirea, Candy Corn, to add to my collection. I don't have many native plants in this area but I do have natives throughout my larger flowerbeds as they need a lot more leg room than this space would allow.

A work in progress

We also had to relocate our handmade bird bath to another area in this space. So many different critters love this little ground water feature. It's one of our favorite DIY project completions.

Seems there is always a Spring project to tackle. We have one big project left, connecting our garage to our house. We won't start it until lumber prices go down, if they ever do.

It seems like Winter was especially long and cold so get out and enjoy the warmth. 

HAPPY SPRING from Forsythia Hill.

~Rebecca

Albemarle County Wastes Paper

When I think commonly used words during the last decade, GREEN certainly comes to mind.  When we receive my semiannual glob of property tax bills from the County of Albemarle, I have to ask, how out of touch with GREEN is our local government?  Are they unaware that they send every household in the county that owns property a separate mailing for each piece of property they own?

16 pieces of "property tax" paper = a dozen too many!

We only have three cars and a house.  At the maximum, I would expect two bills, one for all cars and one for the house both mailed in one envelop (no return envelop, let the taxpayer use their own if they mail the payment).  Ideally, there would be an online system in place where I can forgo ANY paper.  The second most used term in the past decade is PAPERLESS. 

When I made my last semiannual payment in person, I asked the clerk if I could receive one piece of paper for all my vehicles, mailed to my one address.  I received a brusk NO, as if this line of questioning  was a common one, pressing a nerve of the person that had to endure the question. 

I imagine that multitudes of taxpayer dollars were spent on the automated system that spits out the bills every six months and find it hard to believe that making such minor improvements is not possible.  I mean this is computer programming 101, one of the simplest changes

IF address = same THEN

print on one page

ELSE

Albemarle County Strikes out...
STRIKE ONE - I don't see that any the paper from the county is recycled paper.
STRIKE TWO - Each piece of property is billed on a separate piece of paper.
STRIKE THREE - Each bill is mailed in a separate envelop with separate postage.
STRIKE FOUR - Each bill has a return envelop and I never mail in my payment.
STRIKE FIVE - There is no way to see a bill online and circumvent paper all together.

UGH - someone make it STOP!

Sometimes it's the simple things that hurt the environment the most and make me the most disgusted.  "General" property taxes are collected on real estate, public service, personal property, mobile homes, and machinery and tools resulting in a $151 million dollars billed to county citizens and revenue collections amounting to 64% of the budget!

Where not talking small potato paper waste in a county of 100,000 citizens.

-Rebecca

Grocery Store Humor

I could have written this video.  Putting a bag inside of a bag drives me nuts - such as putting a loaf of bagged bread into a BAG or a hunking load of toilet paper already bagged in a BAG into a BAG.

The first time I handed over my recycled grocery bag in Pulaski, VA they looked at me as if I had two heads.  I remember them wondering what to do and putting the groceries in THEIR bag first and then their bag inside my recycle bag!  I still have trouble with clerks not filling up my recycle bag and trying to put groceries in THEIR bag.

JUST SAY NO...

-Rebecca

Life Pledge #2

My first Life Pledge posted several months ago, was to purchase only free range, organic chicken eggs.  Getting my own chickens last week has certainly made this lifetime commitment easier to uphold.

My second Life Pledge is to purchase only Toilet Paper made from recycled paper.  I've not yet committed to purchasing only recycled Paper Towels and Office Paper because I use those paper goods much less often but I do try to buy recycled whenever possible.  Using cloth to wipe up spills and clean with is even BETTER than using any manufactured paper product.  I reuse the backs of used office paper to print my online coupons.  Each year I use one pack of 500 sheets of paper, buying office paper when it goes on sale during the annual fall "back to school" sales.  It's not that common to find recycled paper discounted but when it is, that is the paper to buy.

This is not the first time I have blogged about buying recycled Toilet Paper.  It's so funny, when I mention it to people, the first thought is that somehow the paper you flush ends up being recycled into a new roll.  Yes, when you flush it goes right into a factory that spins it on a roll -- NOT.  Recycled tissue product is made from recovered office paper!  It goes through a heavy duty process and ends up looking just like that other stuff you buy that contains virgin chopped down trees.  Oh wow, I'm now rethinking my Office Paper purchase, if I would have purchase recycled Office Paper, then I would have made a double recycle.

The "eco-toilet brush" plant - ha ha

You may not realize it, but it is very possible that the toilet paper you are buying actually contains some recycled content.  Because of the ridiculous stigma that people have manufactured in their brains, some companies don't want to advertise the fact that their "rear end wipes" are made from recycled paper.    

Toilet Paper has been around since 1913, don't you think it's time to save a tree and purchase a recycled product?  The Natural Resources Defense Council has published an excellent guide to get you motivated to make the switch.

-Rebecca