Weather dictates what gets done.

I had full intentions of finishing pulling pigweeds from my green beans but a half inch of rain makes the soft garden soil eat shoes and I was not about to loose a shoe in the mud today.

Instead, I pulled weeds from the west iris bed where I also have some zinnas finally starting to grow.  It looks much better without all the cheat grass.

So instead of destruction of the weeds, I decided it was a good day for CONSTRUCTION!!!  Many of you who know me have figured out by now that I like the challenge of making something better or more useful and I am all about repurposing material when possible.  So dad and Jim pulled out the old railroad ties that were the retaining wall for the past 30 years around dad's yard and stacked them up with the intention that maybe we can saw off the end that was in the ground and rotting away and use the part that is still good for something.  So there they are stacked up and I look at them and the way they are stacked looks like steps.  So I go and rearrange a couple to make a 3-step up.   It works.  So I start thinking and planning.  That is my construction way.  Visualize the end of the project.  Figure out how to make it happen.  Then start the process.  So that is what I did today.  I built me a set of steps out of old used railroad ties.  I have another set to build off to the side of the deck.  So I now have a working plan.  It took a little redesigning from what my mind's eye came up with to the actual finished product, but I think I have it.  Course dad came out at my request, tried the steps out and then we made a few adjustments.  I just hope I have enough ties to do the next set of steps.  (Picture below)

I also started the base of what will be the extra wood pile or the supplementary wood pile for the wood burning season.  I covered the area that is 5 x 10 feet with weed barrier and then used my old siding (repurpose) to put a layer of more solid material down.  Now that is ready for a half ton of crushed concrete or gravel or something and then it will be ready to stack wood on top of.  You can't see it, but there in the picture, just to the left of the cat on the bike is a pile of wood that needs to be split and it will be the first to go in the supplemental wood area.

So see, just because it rains, doesn't mean a day off, it just means you get something else done instead.  I also went to town in the old orange truck and got my 4 50-gallon oil drums (empty of course) that I swapped for 2 50-gallon drums with lids that are air tight when sealed.  Not a bad swap because I have burn barrells now that should last me until I am as old as my grandma!!!!