Diggin' it

Some of the drainage work occurred right across the street from my house last Tuesday and Wednesday. "They" exposed the gas main and did something, I don't know what because I did not go out and chat up the worker bees, before (mostly) filling the hole back up.

Badger Daylighting uses hot water to turn soil, even clay, into slurry that they can suck up. This seems like a much safer way to expose gas lines than using a backhoe and hoping it doesn't cause a gas leak. All they did was create a trench over the pipe, though.

At one point, ten guys were standing around the trench, doing what? Was there a problem? Or was it break time?

Badger left and Nipsco took over. The backhoe turned the trench into a big hole on Tuesday, then a bigger hole on Wednesday. Some work of some kind was performed in the hole before it was filled up almost all the way. I think a load of stone went in first (I *do* have a life and did not spend that much time watching from the diningroom) and the topping appears to be sand.

Orange fencing and pylons are still there, along with the backhoe as of today. The weather has turned since all this took place, colder with a bit of snow. Not sure if that is interfering with the work, but either way, it is supposed to warm up over the next few days.

Thursday night we met with the contractor who is doing the actual drainage work. The maps show a new storm pipe running from the drain near my driveway to the east. That work will not directly affect my property except in an incidental way. I think my swale will not be dug out either, as the rainwater already runs the correct way - south to north - across the front of my yard. Work is beginning at the south end of the addition, so I don't expect to see much happening here until May or so.

Once all this work is completed, I may contact the hardscaping guy who did my driveway, to see if he can improve the drainage in my backyard. There are too many downspouts and a sump pump emptying into the same area - it gets very soggy out there. But first things first: let's give the water some place to go.

Six more weeks of winter, such as it is

In my (faulty) memory, wherever I am, the sun shines on Ground Hog Day, if only for a short while. Today's absence of gray skies was a nice change of pace, BUT. I have been noticing signs of spring here and there: Canada geese migrating, starlings that never left, early morning bird song, and today a bee seeking the warmth of my daughter's car. It's just not right.

Construction signs are up in the neighborhood, with two at either end of the block where I live. This week we get to meet the contractor who is supposed to fix all our drainage issues. In fact, they have already started, moving gas lines at the innermost part of the addition. A variety of trucks, including some from Badger Daylighting, have come and gone.

Inside, I started the process (wrote a check) for new flooring to replace the remaining carpet. Every time I clean up pet puke (and they always puke on carpeting, not linoleum), I tell myself that soon I will be wiping it up from laminate. Much easier. A friend gave me her Roomba and I may invest in a Crosswave (my daughter loves hers). Then I will just need something that dusts and cleans bathrooms.

Doesn't feel like winter

The ground is barely frozen, and probably won't stay that way. This means the dogs are always bringing in dirt from the backyard. We spread straw around the worst areas, but there is still mud to be found. Fortunately, a friend gave me her Roomba (it didn't work well in her house). Right now, it isn't saving me much time as I tend to keep an eye on it. It's initial inefficiency is getting better, though, and I'm learning from others how best to take advantage of it. Now I need something that will dust and clean bathrooms.

I repotted the ivy houseplants. One of my potted plant tricks is to line the bottom of the pots with coffee filters. Water can seep through but not soil. The ivy is already showing new growth, so they must be happy. Or happy enough.

There are new blue flags around the neighborhood, marking where water lines and such are located. Since the ground is not frozen, I wonder if the contractors will begin to work on the drainage project early. Like most infrastructure improvements, it will be a pain to live through but I'll be glad when it is done... if it achieves its goal of improving the drainage here.

The end is in sight... maybe

I've posted before about how my front yard turns into a lake after a heavy rain and/or heavy snow melt and/or the ground is frozen and/or saturated. Last Saturday was no exception. Since the city water engineers asked me to report when the flooding occurs, I did that. They actually sent someone out to take photos and tell me they would not be installing a pump. My garage has a floor drain and my crawl shows no signs of ever being wet, so I was okay with that. However, my neighbor across the street set up an old pool pump he had, to send some of the water to another storm drain. That probably helped keep the rising waters from my garage.

Meanwhile, the city council okayed the contract for fixing the drainage issues in my addition, work to begin this spring. They don't plan to tear up my yard (thank goodness! I have a lot of shrubs planted in the utility easement), but the swale out front by the street will be deepened. Elsewhere, the storm water will be redirected, hopefully away from my house. We'll see how successful they are.

Indoors, my new houseplants are root bound. Since I don't believe in potting up unless it is absolutely necessary, I plan to trim the roots, refresh the soil, and stick the newbies right back in their old pots. Once I feel comfortable hobbling around my messy garage, that is. I overdid the exercise last Friday, which resulted in a bit of a setback re recovery from my hip surgery. I want to be completely healed RIGHT NOW!

Random Monday

1. For my garden, I bought somewhat expensive grow bags from Gardeners Supply. A neighbor demonstrates that blue cloth bags from Walmart are just as good.

2. I've had worse flooding in my front yard, but last week's too-much-too-fast rainfall demonstrates drainage is still a problem here. My next door neighbor thinks the storm sewer is becoming more of a problem, but I think the ground is saturated which means more water needs to go into the sewer, a sewer that can't handle it. I sent this photo to the mayor and my city council rep.

3. I've tried growing pumpkin before, but never have I had plants like these. Inside the fence, they are taking over their end of the garden. I'm still having woodchuck problems, and I read that woodchucks eat pumpkins, so if these plants survive the usual onslaught of squash pests, I hope I don't lose the fruit in the end.

4, It's raspberry season. 'Nuff said.