Free, free, free…. And not so free

Construction on the house has come to a screeching halt the last three months. In preparation for the next big task of revamping the laundry room, we have spent some time trying to organize the basement.  Quite a few garbage bags were set out on the curb. We are almost done going through the wood pile – separating the “good” lumber from the junk. Dave also has a lot of tools.  Finding space to make them easier to locate is not easy, but I keep trying.

When not hanging out in the basement, we have been taking time to kick back and do some neighborhood type fun stuff.  It seems like there is always something free to do around our ‘hood. 

The NDG Food Depot, that I have done gardening with in the past, sponsors workshops from time to time.  I recently attended a FREE seed saving workshop at one of the garden locations that I had never been to before.  The garden was HUGE and some of their produce was HUGE as well.  Just take a look at this squash!  The animateurs (facilitators as I would call them in the US) who led the workshop were very easy going and offered up a very relaxed attitude to gardening in general, and seed collecting, more specifically. There really is not a lot to it but I did actually learn a couple of new things.  One is that it is best to collect the seeds from a flower that is completely dead.  If not quite dead yet, be sure to hang it upside down and let it dry out completely.  Two – you should always store seeds, once they are completely dried, in a paper bag or envelope. If they are in a jar or a baggie, any potential moisture from even one seed – can cause the whole container to mold and ruin all the seeds. 

 Best of all, after the demo was completed, tea was served and envelopes were handed out and we were allowed to roam the garden and collect as much seed as we wanted.  I now have envelopes for next spring that include calendula, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, echinacea and several others. Now I just have to find a place to store them where I can find them again next Spring!

 Another fun FREE thing I did last week was also sponsored by the NDG Food Depot.  Someone discovered that an apple orchard exists on a (large, private) school campus, right down the street.  They got permission for us to go pick the apples.  These apples will be distributed in the food baskets that are provided to those in need.  More likely - most of them went into making applesauce to be included in the meals that are served.  Anyone who volunteered got to take home some apples as well.  I just thought it was so cool on multiple counts.  One – that there is an apple orchard in the middle of the city.  And two – that lots of food will not go to waste.  Maybe next year we can go a little earlier in the season as there were quite a few of the apples that were past their prime, so to speak.  I did manage to get enough to make a nice apple crisp with the ones I brought home! 

 After 2+ years of COVID – our neighborhood finally hosted another FREE Porchfest event a couple of weeks ago. Hundreds of bands and musicians hang out on their front porches, (or yards or driveways, as needed) and play music throughout the day. People roam the streets and stop at various locations to hear all kinds of music: Rock, Caribbean, Celtic, Classical, country, etc.  I must admit I had to Google a few terms I was not familiar with.  Like – what exactly is “yacht rock” or “Dad rock” or “Nu Jazz”?   Inevitably, we see friends we know while we are out and about.  The weather was perfect, the music was delightful, the smiles were abundant, and the good vibes were visibly contagious.

 

Amidst all these FREE things, was a major not-so-free thing. We decided to have the soffit replaced on the house, along with some other porch repairs and new gutters.  I was a bit surprised when three trucks (like moving van sized trucks – not pickup trucks) pulled up in front of the house.  Seven (very burly, strong) guys hopped out and began the most incredibly well-orchestrated construction project I have likely ever witnessed.  One guy set up sawhorses, two guys scrambled up ladders and started removing old parts. While one person was measuring, another was cutting, and someone else was nailing things into place. Another one was in a truck bending and shaping metal parts.  Another guy was running parts to people on the ladders.  In total, there were seven ladders.  These guys picked up ladders and moved them around as easily as if they were picking up a hammer. Up and down the ladders, tossing tools and glue guns to each other, calling out instructions, cutting metal gutters to size – in seconds… it was like nothing I had seen before.  I stood there in awe, trying not to get in the way, just watching the whole thing unfold.  

 At one point I noticed a lot of debris on the roof, over the porch and on the window ledge on the second floor.  I nudged David and said (quietly) – “can you ask them to clean that up?”.  He was like…”um…no, I’m not about to interrupt this process”.  Well, lo and behold, as things were wrapping up – one guy jumps out of the truck with a leaf blower, plugs it in, hops up a ladder and proceeds to clean up the debris.  As if I hadn’t been impressed so far – this was the icing on the cake! 

 

The entire whirlwind job was done in three hours and once they had packed up and left, it was almost like I had dreamed the whole thing.  Except now all the old and busted soffit has been replaced with new and clean parts.  So, even though this was the “not so free” part, it was totally worth the expense.  Slowly, we are getting this old house into shape. 

And last but not least, just a picture of Purrcy being cute.  He loves this little spot, inside a foot stool that we recently purchased for the sunroom.