Spring has arrived in Wisconsin, and the beautiful sunshine and weather on Saturday was perfect for getting things done. We ran a few errands in the morning and took care of some projects around the house in the afternoon.
One of the main projects we wanted to tackle was settling down these newly laid paving stones into a nice level configuration.
The frost is now out of the ground so we were able to score the edge of the turf around the stones, now that we've had them laid out in the pattern that we want. With a square ended shovel, Steve was able to dig straight down about 3 inches around the outer edges of every stone.
The goal is to get the paving stones level with the surface of the lawn, while keeping them evenly spaced and tight together. Removing the sod and using the level and some hoes and shovels, we were working in the sunshine and it was soooo nice and warm! Notice Steve isn't even wearing a sweatshirt.
Once we scored the turf, Steve carefully scraped up the sod off of the compacted dirt below. We didn't want to disturb the surface any deeper, or make any of the dirt under the stones shift around too much.
Kinda like laying tiles!
Working in pairs of stones, we used the 4 foot level to check, we shifted and adjusted them until they were level with the pair from before it. The lawn between the garage and the She Shed is pretty level to begin with, so it was not too hard of a task.
Lifting each paving stone into place gets to be tiresome. Each one weighs 32 pounds. I found that using the tip of the hoe and wedging underneath to tilt them upward, kind of like a fulcrum and lever, made it easier to grab them with our gloved hands.
We made it up to the turn and decided to call it quits for the evening by 5 p.m. That was 28 stones. Things were starting to cool off a little bit so it was time to give up and head into the house for supper. I think we will tackle it again this afternoon because it's going to be a beautiful day, although it's supposed to be windy. Situated between the garage and the She Shed we are blocked from a lot of the wind, so I think it will be okay.
Once we get that portion done, then we will move on to this other section. This photo is taken outside of the South side door of the She Shed that leads out to the fenced-in dog yard. At one time there had been a cement patio and these are the remains which are in quite rugged rough shape. We are going to level off over this area with compacted sand and gravel and then lay the new stones into place. It will be about level with the door threshold. This area will be 6 feet by 12 ft and make a wonderful little patio space.
This is the perfect spot for Steve to put his new grill. This door is located much closer to the kitchen for cooking and dashing back and forth to check on the food as he grills out. He just informed me that his technique is called "sprinting". Okaaaayyyy.
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Another upcoming project is an unusual one.... we always find strange stuff in old house construction. Sometimes there is no explanation. Sometimes you have to investigate to figure it out.
In our basement, there was a recessed hole in the corner of the newer cement portion of the basement. This from about 1945-50 when they moved this portion of the house onto the site. (our original late 1800's house was added onto by another house moved over from a different location)
In the center of that recessed hole was an old metal cap. Just the other day, it had rusted through and came loose, emitting a constant stream of water into the basement! Similar to a slow flow from a garden house rate, like if you had a 1/4 turn of the faucet turned on.
It came bubbling up from this recessed hole and flowed into a cement groove in the floor, channeling it towards the sump pump. The entire basement on that side has a little channel cut into the cement around the perimeter to drain water over to the sump pump. Now the poor sump pump is running every few minutes to dispense this extra water.
We are not sure if it an old well that has been capped off, or an artesian spring that exists on the corner of the house? The grass there is always lush and green by that part of the house. There isn't any standing water in the yard, nor is the water table too high right now. Actually we are flagged in fire danger warnings for being too dry this spring.
Either way, we need to stop that flow! It's going to burn out our sump pump soon. It is running every few minutes. Steve ran to the hardware store, and he bought a cheap plastic 4" plug to close it up for now. But that is only a temporary fix.
We knew the device he really needed, a firm "mechanical plug" made of heavy rubber and steel. We couldn't find one locally, so I ordered this one from good ole Amazon. It is the larger 4" one with the racheting top nut to expand it into place. It should be here by the end of the week and we can fix the problem properly. Once he gets it plugged off and dry, he will cement it with hydraulic concrete.
We do know in the other part of the basement, in the older rubblestone area, from pre-1900's there is another capped off well. That one is holding after being cemented in many years ago. This home originally used to be in the country, and as the town grew outwards to include it into the city at a later date. Then city utilities with water and sewer were supplied up and down our street.... and existing wells were capped off. I suppose the water bubbling up has to go somewhere, but I want it to stay OUTSIDE of the basement foundation! LOL.
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Little Biscuit seems to think that anywhere she perches, we should lean over and pet her and scratch her ears. She is quite the little jumping bean and bounces all over the place. She is the youngest of the bunch.
Ewok is more sedate and loves to be a couch potato and snuggle buddy. Anytime you sit down, he seems to think your lap is made just for him to perch on. He grunts at you like a little piggy, until you lean over and lift him up on your lap.
We've been trying to take them for walks every day to wear off their energy. One person, three leashes, and energetic dogs does not work. They were going Every Which Way Direction. So we have to divide and conquer to get in a walk.
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On my fiber front, I've been working on my Jewel Box quilt. I have almost all of the blocks done and ready to start putting them together into strips and then complete the top. Here are just 16 of the sections that make up four blocks of the quilt. There will be 20 blocks in all plus a border, and there are 960 little pieces total in this queen sized quilt.
(incidentally, it's the same pattern as the quilt I have covering the love seat)
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Tomorrow is our youngest daughter Heather's birthday. She will be 36 years old! Hard to believe 36 years ago she came into our world and now she's so grown-up and a mommy of her own. We are having a special little birthday celebration for her tomorrow here at our home.
Why did you grow up so fast?
It seems like yesterday.
Your big sister was SO excited to have a new baby...
And now you have babies of your own to share with us.
What a Fun-Loving Jeeping Mom you are!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HEATHER!!!
Steve is chomping at the bit to get going on the sidewalk again, I better get out there and help.
First we wanted a name to compliment the rustic log and stone décor with the old “up north” feel. We also felt that the name and personality of this place should reflect our personal ties to the building. All the rough-hewn timbers, D-logs and planking were harvested off our own family farm west of Green Bay. My dad, Ed, brother, Tom, and I all helped plant and water the trees which now make up the restaurant. The skinned logs which accent the cabinets were debarked by me and my son, and co-owner of Mackinaws, Kevin.
But a name eluded us until our friends joined in for the search for a suitable name. We needed a special name for this special place. One that was “northernly” and friendly, easy to say, easy to shorten, and the list goes on. Finally, we found a name which tied in a Canadian cloth used by lumberjacks, northern woodsmen and hunters, as well as the memorable item worn by many of our dads and grandfathers: the mackinaw jacket. 
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