Help Support House Repair Talk:
Flyover
Trying not to screw things up worse
If I can get a hold of my neighbor's extension ladder I'm going to cut down a dead tree by myself today. Or at least take down one of the big main branches that's pointing a little too threateningly at my house.
Before anyone inquires about my funeral arrangements, know that I do have a plan for this job so I can do it fairly safely:
First, I'm going to first access the branch as high up as I feel safe doing, and tie a rope around it. Then I'll descend again and wrap that rope around a stake I've driven into a far corner of my yard. That will pull the branch away from my house. Then I'll climb up to the branch again, but lower this time, just to slightly above where it branches out from the trunk, position myself between the tree and my house, and start cutting while pulling on the rope that's wrapped around the peg. This should pull the branch away from both me and the house. Once I've sawn just enough that I'm able to, I'll descend to the ground and do the rest just by pulling on the rope from a safe distance.
Before anyone inquires about my funeral arrangements, know that I do have a plan for this job so I can do it fairly safely:
First, I'm going to first access the branch as high up as I feel safe doing, and tie a rope around it. Then I'll descend again and wrap that rope around a stake I've driven into a far corner of my yard. That will pull the branch away from my house. Then I'll climb up to the branch again, but lower this time, just to slightly above where it branches out from the trunk, position myself between the tree and my house, and start cutting while pulling on the rope that's wrapped around the peg. This should pull the branch away from both me and the house. Once I've sawn just enough that I'm able to, I'll descend to the ground and do the rest just by pulling on the rope from a safe distance.
Spicoli43
Well-Known Member
Speaking of Moen, my neighbor's bathroom faucet won't work. I checked the Pex lines in the crawl space, and they are fine. Every other faucet works, and there is plenty of water at the valves. The faucet barely drips, so it's either the supply lines or the faucet itself. I have seen faucets do about everything besides completely die. For me, they usually leak real bad but have full pressure.
slownsteady
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Just remember that by putting tension on the branch, it might change the way you expect it to cut and can cause it to spring in a different direction as it starts to give way.
Also, if you have one hand on the saw and one hand on the rope, I hope you have a third hand available to hold onto the ladder.
Flyover
Trying not to screw things up worse
Got all the big branches down, my plan worked pretty flawlessly. The only unexpected thing was that when I sawed almost all the way through, the branches wanted to sit on the saw and pinch it, so I had to wiggle the saw out and then kinda push and twist on the branches until they were free to fall.
@slownsteady I ended up just tying the ropes off at the ground. I used trucker's hitches to create tension.
I'm sure all my neighbors think I'm crazy now, if any of them saw me up there in my bike helmet!! Ha.
@slownsteady I ended up just tying the ropes off at the ground. I used trucker's hitches to create tension.
I'm sure all my neighbors think I'm crazy now, if any of them saw me up there in my bike helmet!! Ha.
zannej
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Glad it went well, flyover.
My friend's family are being aggravating. His mom messes with people's stuff, takes food, and leaves her dogs here for over 12 hours at a time while she goes and does drugs.
The grandfather peed all over the kitchen floor, all over the carpet his greatgrandaughter's carpet and bed, etc.
The baby cries nonstop and the fiance ignores him and expects other people to deal with him.
I did spend an hour at my house cuddling with my pets though.
My friend's family are being aggravating. His mom messes with people's stuff, takes food, and leaves her dogs here for over 12 hours at a time while she goes and does drugs.
The grandfather peed all over the kitchen floor, all over the carpet his greatgrandaughter's carpet and bed, etc.
The baby cries nonstop and the fiance ignores him and expects other people to deal with him.
I did spend an hour at my house cuddling with my pets though.
Oh zannej! I will be so very happy for you when you get to go back home. I'm sorry you are dealing with all that. It sounds stressful.
tuffy
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Been refinishing the kitchen cabinets. Sanding the old finish off and re- staining them. Also painted the insides white and also putting in Led strip lights.
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zannej
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Thanks, shan.
My friend's mom left for now and took her dogs but she also took my friend's car.
The grandfather wakes people up all hours of day and night by hollering for my friend. He doesn't seem to care that it wakes the baby & my friend needs sleep so he can go to work. During the day he wants my friend to run errands for him.
He also wants to make everyone else do stuff for him.
We have to go through the room he sleeps in to get to the bathroom & if he hears or sees someone he will call out for them to get him something or do something for him.or he wants to know what his grandson is doing and where he is and wants people to wake him up when he's sleeping. This morning around 4am I headed to the bathroom and he told me to dump his urine bottles in the commode. I didn't want to walk on the peed on carpet in my socks so I declined. On my way out of the bathroom, he was insisting that I empty them for him and then said he was going to wake my friend. I know my friend needs sleep so I caves and dumped his bottles, rinsed them, gave them back to him, and scrubbed my hands.
He started hollering for my friend a couple hours later and called my friend with his cellphone about 10x.
At least the baby is doing better on new formula and bottles. He has to get special formula for colic that costs $12.
My cats and dogs were happy to see me again. Fippy still misses my mom though.
I spent a couple hours at the house cuddling with the catsame and dogs. All of the cats were inside bc of a thunderstorm.
Rain refilled the water trough for the cows.
Tuffy, cabinets look great. I need to clean mine when the power is back on.
My friend's mom left for now and took her dogs but she also took my friend's car.
The grandfather wakes people up all hours of day and night by hollering for my friend. He doesn't seem to care that it wakes the baby & my friend needs sleep so he can go to work. During the day he wants my friend to run errands for him.
He also wants to make everyone else do stuff for him.
We have to go through the room he sleeps in to get to the bathroom & if he hears or sees someone he will call out for them to get him something or do something for him.or he wants to know what his grandson is doing and where he is and wants people to wake him up when he's sleeping. This morning around 4am I headed to the bathroom and he told me to dump his urine bottles in the commode. I didn't want to walk on the peed on carpet in my socks so I declined. On my way out of the bathroom, he was insisting that I empty them for him and then said he was going to wake my friend. I know my friend needs sleep so I caves and dumped his bottles, rinsed them, gave them back to him, and scrubbed my hands.
He started hollering for my friend a couple hours later and called my friend with his cellphone about 10x.
At least the baby is doing better on new formula and bottles. He has to get special formula for colic that costs $12.
My cats and dogs were happy to see me again. Fippy still misses my mom though.
I spent a couple hours at the house cuddling with the catsame and dogs. All of the cats were inside bc of a thunderstorm.
Rain refilled the water trough for the cows.
Tuffy, cabinets look great. I need to clean mine when the power is back on.
zannej
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To clarify, friend's grandfather can and does get to the bathroom. He used an entire box of wet wipes in a couple of days-- they weren't even his wipes. He also goes through almost an entire mega roll of toilet paper every day. He's clogged the toilet multiple times.
Woke up today to hear discussion about it being so clogged the plunger wasn't working and feces water was splashing all over. Got all over my friend's pants. I took him to the store to get a toilet auger so he finally got it cleared.
Used the Walmart bathroom in case it wasn't going to work. My friend was supposed to be at work already but had to deal with his grandfather's literal crap. He's taking a shower now. My brother used the bathroom at a nearby store and helped the old man out to his suv while we were getting the auger.
Woke up today to hear discussion about it being so clogged the plunger wasn't working and feces water was splashing all over. Got all over my friend's pants. I took him to the store to get a toilet auger so he finally got it cleared.
Used the Walmart bathroom in case it wasn't going to work. My friend was supposed to be at work already but had to deal with his grandfather's literal crap. He's taking a shower now. My brother used the bathroom at a nearby store and helped the old man out to his suv while we were getting the auger.
slownsteady
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Zanne, if you put all this in a novel, I would have a hard time believing it. But it would be an interesting read.
zannej
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If I could get my thoughts together I'd write memoirs. Lol.
Today I babysat my friend's mother's dog. Emptied the urine bottles & rinsed them. Cleaned the baby's bottles. Fed some kittens. Put the old man's pain patches on his shoulders. Took mom home to see Fippy. Fed and refilled water for cats and dogs. Helped my friend's fiance bleach her hair (I am terrible at stuff like that as I've never colored my hair and her hair is a lot thicker than mine and harder to lather).
Made grilled cheese sandwiches for myself and others.
Trying to get some sleep before the baby starts screaming again.
Today I babysat my friend's mother's dog. Emptied the urine bottles & rinsed them. Cleaned the baby's bottles. Fed some kittens. Put the old man's pain patches on his shoulders. Took mom home to see Fippy. Fed and refilled water for cats and dogs. Helped my friend's fiance bleach her hair (I am terrible at stuff like that as I've never colored my hair and her hair is a lot thicker than mine and harder to lather).
Made grilled cheese sandwiches for myself and others.
Trying to get some sleep before the baby starts screaming again.
zannej
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Got undercabinet lights for my friend's kitchen. Had to go to my house twice today to pick up tools and later drill bits. Guppy had gotten himself locked in the living room both times so it's a good thing I checked. I need to find a way to latch that door so he can't get in. It has a spring so it closes itself.
Had very little sleep bc of the baby. His mother heard him screaming for over an hour and ignored him. About 15 to 20 min in to the screaming I woke her up and said she needed to tend to the baby. She griped that the baby had been screaming all morning and refused to get up.
My brother finally picked up the baby and put him directly on her so she would have to deal with him. She yelled and cussed, woke my friend who had been in a much needed dead sleep, and insisted my friend deal with the baby.
She had desperately wanted a baby but now she doesn't want the responsibility.
Had very little sleep bc of the baby. His mother heard him screaming for over an hour and ignored him. About 15 to 20 min in to the screaming I woke her up and said she needed to tend to the baby. She griped that the baby had been screaming all morning and refused to get up.
My brother finally picked up the baby and put him directly on her so she would have to deal with him. She yelled and cussed, woke my friend who had been in a much needed dead sleep, and insisted my friend deal with the baby.
She had desperately wanted a baby but now she doesn't want the responsibility.
My granddaughter had one in high school. She gave it up to the father's parents. They are raising her. Neither my granddaughter or her boyfriend have anything to do with her. I see her a lot.
zannej
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That should have been Fippy, not Guppy.
I can understand teen mothers having trouble with babies and being irresponsible. This girl is 23 and the baby might not even be my friend's.
Got about 7 people here using 1 bathroom. The grandfather just goes all over. He was injured on the job when he was younger. Got hit in the neck with a large chain and wad disabled. Later he was injured more in a car wreck. But he acts like he can't do anything and wakes people up to do stuff for him that he can do himself or that can wait.
I try to be nice to him. I help him get his shirt off, help him remove his shoes, leg braces, & socks. Put his pain patches on his shoulders, get him water, help him get his legs on a pillow, tuck him in to bed, empty his urine bottles, get him food, etc.
But he dropped snack wrappers, banana peels, soda cans, etc on the floor in the kitchen and bedroom so there were ants all over. He then gripes to my friend about the trash being there and ordered him to pick it up. My friend told him to shove it.
I was feeling sympathy for the old man, but he was yabbering on the phone directly next to me and saying how he hates it here and no one does anything for him or helps him.
He didn't get out of bed yet today and was wanting me to bring him food and snacks. This is after my friend told him he's not allowed to have food in the bedroom anymore.
I got a bit more rest bc it was cooler last night so I went home and stayed until after 6am. Loggers were out at 6 sharp.
My cats and dogs snuggled me and hogged my pillow all night. Lol.
Power is back for everyone in my neighborhood except us. I called & the automated outage reporting system said power was restored and had to open a new ticket to report mine is still out. I told them 3x that the lines on my pole got knocked loose and the security light is down. They didn't touch anything on my property yet.
But the way their system works, my ticket is now at the back of the queue.
At least I found some dark chocolate candies that I like. Lol.
Edited bc autocorrect sucks.
Also forgot to mention that we ditched the old short round toilet and replaced it with a chair height elongated Toto Entrada.
I can understand teen mothers having trouble with babies and being irresponsible. This girl is 23 and the baby might not even be my friend's.
Got about 7 people here using 1 bathroom. The grandfather just goes all over. He was injured on the job when he was younger. Got hit in the neck with a large chain and wad disabled. Later he was injured more in a car wreck. But he acts like he can't do anything and wakes people up to do stuff for him that he can do himself or that can wait.
I try to be nice to him. I help him get his shirt off, help him remove his shoes, leg braces, & socks. Put his pain patches on his shoulders, get him water, help him get his legs on a pillow, tuck him in to bed, empty his urine bottles, get him food, etc.
But he dropped snack wrappers, banana peels, soda cans, etc on the floor in the kitchen and bedroom so there were ants all over. He then gripes to my friend about the trash being there and ordered him to pick it up. My friend told him to shove it.
I was feeling sympathy for the old man, but he was yabbering on the phone directly next to me and saying how he hates it here and no one does anything for him or helps him.
He didn't get out of bed yet today and was wanting me to bring him food and snacks. This is after my friend told him he's not allowed to have food in the bedroom anymore.
I got a bit more rest bc it was cooler last night so I went home and stayed until after 6am. Loggers were out at 6 sharp.
My cats and dogs snuggled me and hogged my pillow all night. Lol.
Power is back for everyone in my neighborhood except us. I called & the automated outage reporting system said power was restored and had to open a new ticket to report mine is still out. I told them 3x that the lines on my pole got knocked loose and the security light is down. They didn't touch anything on my property yet.
But the way their system works, my ticket is now at the back of the queue.
At least I found some dark chocolate candies that I like. Lol.
Edited bc autocorrect sucks.
Also forgot to mention that we ditched the old short round toilet and replaced it with a chair height elongated Toto Entrada.
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Talked to an old buddy today, Joe Pike or as he is known in his world "thevoiceitguy". He does commercials, voice overs, cartoon characters etc. If you have ever heard the Jack Daniels bbq sauce commercial that sounds like Sam Elliott, that is Joe. He was a roofer for years until he auditioned. You can find a bunch of his stuff on line
zannej
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Awesome!
I'll have to look those up when power is back. I'm going to start a phone campaign to remind my power company every day until it is fixed.
Meanwhile, the lights:
New toilet:
zannej
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Finally got power back. Walked in to check on the pets & the power came on while we were there. The house is a disaster inside though. Looks like it was ransacked. I was blaming the dogs & cats at first but then two very fat raccoons showed up in the kitchen. There were drawers opened, pantry had food pulled down, boxes ripped open and dragged, dog food bags ripped & dragged, trash from outside dragged in. I couldn't figure out how or why the cats & dogs could have been *that* bad. Looks like the raccoons have been raiding the pantry and eating the cat & dog foot as well.
tuffy
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Good to hear you got your power restored. That sucks about the racoons destroying your place while you were gone.
