Yard and Home Projects 2024

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YARD AND HOME PROJECTS

This is a catch-all page for various small projects I do and earlier decided not to create this page, but changed my mind.

After the end of next month, I plan to let my web hosting platform expire and more or less work off line since I do not use this website to generate any income.  When I started making turkey box calls around 2006, there was not a "ton" of box call makers as of today.  Also with the usage of CNC machining, calls can now be produced and sold cheaper than I can purchase some of the raw materials.

With that said, this no doubt will be the last page uploaded to Portercalls.com.

TOMATO PATCH

I didn't take any pixs of tilling up the soil with my antiquated Troy Bilt tiller adding wood shaving from my woodworking shop dust collection system, crushed egg shells and of course a heavy application of 10-10-10 fertilizer.

The tomato plants are growing real well.  I had a deer eat the top out of one small plant, but it has put out again and can be seen in the foreground left in the tomato patch.  I planted (13) thirteen one gallon size plants and the balance were much smaller.  Most of the plants were Celebrity, a few pink Brandywine, a couple grape aka cherry tomato plants and a few more varieties.

TOMATOES COMING ALONG

About all of the plants have blooms and five or six have small tomatoes on them.

My bride aka Joyce and myself are anxiously waiting for those tomatoes aka "maters" to ripen and have our first Club sandwich of the season along with a BLT and regular tomato and Duke's mayonnaise sandwich!  There is nothing as tasty as a good ole home grown tomato.

TOMATO PATCH UPDATE 05-16-2024

The past week or two, we have a good amount of rain of which I call, "nutrients from the sky" and the tomatoes are really growing for sure.

As soon as the ground dries enough, I will have to get out the garden hoe and do some hoeing, well maybe pun intended, grin if you must!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 05-16-2024.

FIRST TOMATO HARVESTED

Below pix of a Pink Brandywine tomato harvested today (05-24-2024) destined to be a BLT sandwich tomorrow.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 05-24-2024.

TOMATO PATCH 06-28-2024

As evidenced by the above pixs, our tomato plants are producing very well and we have certainly enjoyed using them.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-30-2024.

MORE TOMATOES

I have given away six (6) grocery bags of tomatoes, probably 25 tomatoes in each bag and the plants are producing very well as of this date: 07-05-2024.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-05-2024.

NOTE:  I cut down the tomato plants at ground level and went over the area with the lawn tractor.  Around first of the year, our Lord willing of course, I will broadcast fertilizer and let it set and get rained on and will then till the tomato patch up.  This has been a good year for us having plenty of tomatoes.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 08-24-2024.

YARD SWING ANNUAL MAINTENANCE

I finally got around today (04-27-2024) to apply a coat of TWP Redwood stain to our hanging porch swing aka yard swing circa. 2013, of which has held up extremely well in the elements.  I normally bring the swing inside my basement woodworking shop during the winter months and let it fully dry out and acclimate to the basement humidity.  I wipe the swing down with mineral spirits and brush any loose stain/paint.  Several years ago, I applied a marine varnish stain which wasn't that compatible with earlier finishes that I applied to the swing, my bad! 

This year, I used a foam brush to apply the stain instead of spraying it on and it worked out extremely well.

PAINTED SOUTH END OF GABEL

I applied another coat of paint with roller and brush to the south end of our home on 07-02-2024.  I did not take any pixs and below is an archived pix from last year.  I used a much longer paint roller handle and didn't move the ladders as often.

Web page created by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-27-2024 and updates as annotated.

HOT WATER HEATER REPLACED

Our twenty (20) year old hot water heater started leaking and replaced it on 07-18-2024.

Below hot water heater installed.  The hot water side did not align up perfect, but close enough.

I originally used Shark Bite stainless steel flexible hoses, but replaced them with PEX since there were lawsuits against Home Depot and Reliance Worldwide for said hoses failing.

STAINED WHEELCHAIR RAMP

It took about 5 hours to stain the above wheelchair ramp.  I used a small roller and brush for the upright pickets and a larger 9 inch roller for the deck portion.  I believe it took 1.5 gallons of oil based stain.  The wheelchair ramp was stained on 08-16-2024.

STAINED DECK

It took approximately 2 hours to stain the deck using a CATechnologies Lynx 300H HVLP spray gun and a 2.5 gallon pressurized tank.  I used about 3 gallons of stain.  It took around 1 hour to clean said equipment.

I have a few more projects to get done; e.g., spray weed killer, spray carpenter bee and termite killer, clean out the gutters and when cold weather gets here will place covers over the two roof turbines.  There seems to be something to do around a home all the time.

Several of the smaller projects, I did not add to this page, but gave the camera some time off and myself as well, grin if you must!

USED THE SPRAYER - 08-23-2024

I used the above sprayer to apply Roundup as needed and went around the perimeter of our home and sprayed carpenter bee and termite killer. 

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 08-24-2024.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Open this link of Bible Verses About Salvation, King James Version Bible (KJV).

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

IN GOD WE TRUST - GOD BLESS AMERICA - "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE"   JOHN 3:16 KJV 

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