Planting the New Orchard

Saturday: (10/31) I dug three big holes in the front yard for the trees. They were a big oversized. I mixed some of the loose soil with some compost as a base and backfill. All three trees look much better in the ground. But, after that effort I needed a late afternoon nap. Granola for breakfast. Leftover Shepherd's pie for lunch. Ham and cheese sandwich for dinner. 

 

Sunday: (11/01) I put some things away in my shop. I also looked in to repairing the flat on my bike. The front tire wasn’t round on the bottom. I couldn’t see any damage to the tube but i did find and remove a thorn from the tire. I decided to just buy a new tube but it won’t arrive until 11/9. I then made a shopping run to return some things to Ace Hardware. I also stopped by REI and bought some more socks. Back home a nice nap seemed best. Later the 4” staples I need to install the orchard drip tubes arrived. Tomorrow I’ll have to get to work. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch from Los Altos taqueria, a nice chili relleno combo. Leftover sauerkraut with potatoes and pork chops and some sausage added for dinner. 

 

Monday: (11/02) I installed the drip tubing for the new front yard orchard then moved all the wood chips from in front of the neighbors house to cover the tubing and finished the job. It does look nice. Granola and banana for breakfast. Shrimp and greens salad for lunch/ Dinner from Panera Bread.

 

 

Almaden Quicksilver OSP Hike

Friday: (10/30) I relaxed in the morning and watched TV including the Live with Kelly and Ryan Halloween show. Then I drove down to San Jose to Almaden Quicksilver OSP and did a 9.3 mile loop hike. Quite nice. Lots of fellow hikers, most really stupid without masks. Granola and diced apple for breakfast. Trail snack tuna salad and sliced apple for lunch. Chinese food for after-hike late lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

A New Front Yard Orchard

Tuesday: (10/27) Leftover hash for breakfast. I got busy on my new project, the front orchard. First, I relocated all the big potted plants, mostly trees from the usual dirt pile area. Only two of these trees will be planted in the new orchard, the loquat and the pomegranate trees. The plum tree in the back yard patio will join them. Then, Dawn will select about five more dwarf trees for our front yard orchard. Then it was time to start digging. I needed to remove about 2-3 inches of the dirt so that when I lay all the wood chips they will be easily returned to their home with a blower. I finished more than ⅔’s of the digging and even broke up the remaining area. Tomorrow I’ll finish moving the dirt then plant the trees and possibly move all the wood chips. Crackers, cheese and ham for lunch. A nice chopped salad from our nearby Corner Bakery Cafe. 

Wednesday: (10/28) I headed outside to before breakfast to move more dirt. I had loosened a bunch before I quit last night. I almost moved all that loosened dirt before breakfast. Lou made an oven omelet for breakfast. I did some more chipping to level the last section. We headed off a little after noon to go to lunch at Ann’s cafe in Menlo Park. It was meatloaf day, for me, and BBQ beef day for Lou. Dawn had a Reuben sandwich. When we returned after lunch it was nap time. I didn’t recover until about 1700. I finished the chipping and moving of the dirt. I also dug out the sprinkler pipe that will be used to water the orchard. It was captured by a bunch of roots and took some work to clear. I did manage to cut the pipe in doing so. Tomorrow I’ll repair that but I’ll need to wait a couple of days for my drip tubing to arrive. So I may be able to take a hike on Friday. I had a sausage sandwich for dinner.

 

Thursday: (10/29) I had a dental cleaning appointment this morning. I trimmed my beard and hair before I headed off. I relaxed most of the rest of the day. I did a layout of where the three trees we have will go. There will be room for three more. A little granola for breakfast. Dim sum from Dim Sum King for lunch. I made some sauerkraut with potatoes and pork chops for dinner. This time I added an onion and an apple because I only had one bottle of sauerkraut. It made it quite mellow. 

Driving To Escape

Sunday: (10/25) I made my favorite corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. We all took a drive through the side streets up to Daly city and I showed Lou and Dawn where I hiked last week at Mount San Bruno State Park. We stopped at Neal’s Restaurant in Millbrae for lunch. On the way home Lou and Dawn toured a thrift store in San Carlos while I looked over a couple of used Mercedes vans at a nearby car lot. They weren’t open so I’ll have to call for details tomorrow. Leftovers for dinner.

Monday: (10/26) Leftover corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. I spent the day in the backyard on cleanup duty. I emptied some unused pots into our stock potting soil bin and cleared the patio of several pots. I cut a new mat for the outside shower. I used the remnant for the second step in the RV doorway which has been just the vinyl floor. I hung cables and pipes under Ernie's trailer and removed some of the boards that were used to support the trailer during the patio build. I also rerouted the drain line from the washer. All these actions to make it easier to blow the leaves from under the trailer. Banana bread for lunch. Spaghetti squash for dinner. Our neighbor had a lot of oak tree chips leftover from eliminating his rear lawn. It’s enough for our front lawn replacement. To use it I had been considering changing my plans for a centered arbor in the front yard to an offset arbor. This allows the majority of the yard to be used for fruit trees rather than a few bushes and lots of succulents. I’ll need to dig out about 3 inches of the dirt, then add the chips.

 

 

Tinkering In The Shop

Friday: (10/23) Grocery shopping run to Walmart in San Jose and a stop at Lowe’s with Lou. PBJ toast for breakfast. Lunch from Lucky Chinese Bistro. Chili beans for dinner.

Saturday: (10/24) I worked in the yard all day. I cleaned up the junk on my workbench that has collected for recent jobs. I also cleaned up the leaves around Dawns cottage and cleaned and restacked the wood against it. I drove Lou and Dawn to the vegetable market. Waffles and bacon for breakfast. Chicken, fries and carrot salad for lunch. Tomato soup and toast for dinner.

 

Palo Alto Redwood City Loop Ride

Thursday: (10/22) A nice bike ride today. I looked around the Stanford Arizona Cactus garden, my usual must see. I was surprised to still find many blooming cacti there. I then looked around downtown Menlo park. And finally I continued up to Redwood City where I stopped at El Grullense Taqueria and got one of their wonderful veggie burritos. I then biked home to eat it. A veggie burrito from El Grullense Taqueria in Redwood City for lunch and dinner.

 

 

San Bruno County Park Hike

Tuesday: (10/20) I drove up to Daly City for a hike at San Bruno State and County Park. Mount San Bruno is a mountain on the peninsula just South of San Francisco where many of the TV and radio towers are located. I hiked up to the summit and hiked the ridge trail East to Brisbane then back. I’ve never hiked there before but will probably return to do more of the trails. Granola for breakfast. A nice trail snack for lunch. Milkshake after hike snack. Leftovers for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday: (10/21) I attended my usual Alpha Software webinar in the morning. I then spent most of the day tinkering on the computer. Granola for breakfast. Leftovers for dinner.

 

 

San Jose Fiber Conduit Installation

Wednesday: (10/07) Granola and banana for breakfast. A bad air day, AQI 110. So, We spent the day inside. Dawn worked on recording one of her stories. I tinkered on the computer. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. We went on a tea run in the afternoon. Lou was out of decaf tea. We picked up dinner from Lucky Chinese Bistro on the way home. It was nice to get out. At least a little stretch. I received a call from our tenant in San Jose that they wanted to upgrade their Internet to fiber. Unfortunately that requires a new path for the cable from the garage to the house. The existing telephone cable is directly buried. I don’t want any overhead cables in the backyard so all the utilities are dropped to the garage at the back of the yard. So, when the air clears I’ll be installing a new conduit. Hopefully good air soon. 

Thursday: (10/08) Granola and banana for breakfast. Another bad air day, AQI 98. I did some more grouting on the patio, anyway. Lou and Dawn ordered pizza for their lunch. I had chili. We all took a drive after lunch over to the coast via Highway 84. We visited Pescadero and Santa Cruz. Didn't see as much burned as we expected. It must be over the ridge from the beach, for the most part. Tomato soup and toast for dinner. 

Friday: (10/09) Lou made an omelet with fruit for breakfast. I headed off to San Jose to work on the new conduit for the fiber to the house. I stopped on the way to get some buckets to manage the dirt from the trench. All my old ones are busy at home. I unloaded my tools and measured the length of the conduit run then headed back to Lowe’s in Sunnyvale. I got my conduit and fittings and some items to repair a couple of bad faucets. Back at the San Jose house I cleared out some brick paving in the path of the trench. That turned out to be more difficult than I had planned but I did get them out. Lunch at La Victoria, a nice torta. I returned home at 1645. 

 

 

Saturday: (10/10) I drove down to San Jose to work on the ditch. I stopped at Ace Hardware to pickup a conduit fitting on the way. I managed to get about half of the conduit installed in the trench and backfilled. I replaced some of the bricks I lifted to dig my trench. Granola for breakfast. Lunch at La Victoria, a nice torta. Lou picked up dinner from the Redwood City German Restaurant.

 

 

Sunday: (10/11) Granola for breakfast. I headed down to San Jose with a stop at Ace hardware to get a street elbow. Rich relocated the potting table that was in the way. In San Jose I dug out the trench and installed the conduit. In the process I burnt out the motor of my concrete saw and tripped the outlet circuit. I was trying to break out the concrete with my heavy crowbar. I chipped a break line but wasn’t making much progress breaking out the concrete. I finally decided the time it took to return to Palo Alto to get my jackhammer would be worth it. I headed home with a stop at Ace Hardware for a new GFCI outlet. I prepared a ham sandwich for lunch. I loaded the jackhammer and returned to San Jose. It made quick work removing the concrete and I was able to finish the trench. I’ll try sawing the edge again tomorrow. I got the conduit into the basement and back filled the trench. Now just some cleanup and restoration. I also have a few other maintenance details to take care of. Lou made green salads for dinner.

 

Monday: (10/12) Granola for my first breakfast. I loaded up the Jeep installing the hitch rack and loading the cement mixer. Ernie helped. He came with me to San Jose to help unload it. I bought his breakfast on the way home as payment for services rendered. We stopped at the Country Inn and I joined him for a second breakfast. Back home, I swapped back to the Hyundai and loaded 12 bags of concrete. I returned to San Jose and unloaded the concrete. I repaired the leaky faucet. I tried to install the condulet at the garage end of the conduit but couldn’t use my long drill to get straight through the wall before I use the hole saw so the conduit can pass through. I moved on to clearing the area for the concrete between the walkway and the house. I also changed saws and cut the other side of the concrete where I had broken it out with the jackhammer. Not too much accomplished except for prep for future work. I headed off about 1645. At home I loaded another 12 bags of concrete for tomorrow's run to San Jose. Lou made chicken and veggies for dinner.

 

Tuesday: (10/13) Granola and banana for breakfast. I headed off to San Jose early. I unloaded the 12 bags of concrete I brought down first. I drilled the garage wall and installed the through the wall conduit piece. I removed the five sprinkler valves that aren’t used any more and replumbed the water line to the back faucet. This required a run to Lowe’s to get a few PVC pipe and fittings. I picked up lunch on my return trip. I then leveled and prepared the area where the new concrete is going. And finally, I laid all the good bricks I had on the walkway I had removed earlier to install the conduit. I need about 12 more from home. There are a few broken and deformed bricks that I’d prefer not to use. I headed home early at 1500. While I'm ready to pour concrete now I didn’t want to do it late in the afternoon. Lou made pizza for dinner. I made a trip to Kohl’s department store to return a light fixture I got from Amazon. Convenient way to return. In the evening I completed setting up my new micro desktop PC in the RV. Arnold Young emailed me and I installed Skype on the PC and we chatted for a while.

 

Wednesday: (10/14) Granola for breakfast. I drove down to San Jose early. Today is the day ATT installs the fiber optic cable to the hose for the tenant. My conduit is ready for it. I got to work on laying the bricks to complete restoring the path to the garden that I had to remove for the conduit. All done and grouted. The ATT guy arrived about 0900 and was finished about 1300. All went well. I decided it was too late to try to pour a bunch of concrete because I hadn’t had lunch. After lunch of my usual torta from La Victoria, I didn’t feel like doing a bunch of mixing and pouring so it can wait until a new day, tomorrow. I enjoyed a nice long nap until about 1900. I took a walk around the neighborhood and to Grocery Outlet where I bought a chicken pot pie for dinner.

  

Thursday: (10/15) Dry granola for breakfast. No milk in the house. I mixed and poured 14 bags of concrete doing a big chunk of the new patio. I started about 0830 and finished the pour and cleanup by 1100. Most of the rest of the day was watching and finishing. I had some ramen noodles for lunch. Later in the afternoon I did a few repairs inside the tenant’s house. I nailed down a threshold strip into their bathroom, re-nailed a curtain bracket, and replaced a faucet. I picked up an early dinner from La Victoria, some chili rellenos.

Friday: (10/16) I mixed and poured about 8 bags of concrete to finish the patio extension here at the San Jose house. I finished the pour before 1000. I then cleaned up and packed away much of my tools and excess materials into the car. I then just waited for the concrete to dry and did final finishing. I also got a nice afternoon nap. I left about 1600 to head home. After dinner at home, I unloaded the car and put things away. Dry granola for breakfast. Leftover beans, rice and tortillas from my dinner last night. Amy’s vegetable soup for an afternoon snack. Macaroni and cheese for dinner. 

 

Saturday: (10/17) I headed off toward San Jose. I stopped at Ace hardware for some caulk on the way. Breakfast at Scramblz restaurant in San Jose. I enjoyed a nice chicken fried steak. First in a while. I loaded the mixer, jack hammer and everything else onto and in the Jeep. I washed down the concrete and replaced the outlet in the back room. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the GFCI to fit in the outside box so I will need to return. On the way home I stopped at Lowe’s and picked up a weatherproof box. At home I cut the back out so it can be an extension box for the outlet. I unloaded all the stuff that I brought back. Then I relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

Sunday: (10/18) Another run to San Jose.. This time Lou came with me. She visited with Cecelia down the street from Dawn’s House. I finished up my work on the house. I installed the outlet box. I also caulked the gap in the foundation by the new concrete walkway I just poured. I then loaded up the last of the items from the project. Corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. Salads for lunch. Dawn’s chicken chowder for dinner.

Monday: (10/19) I unloaded the car and put things away. Otherwise relaxed all day. Leftover corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Shepherd's pie for dinner.