Porch Rails and Pruning

   Once the stainless steel counter tops were installed in the craft room, Ed put in the sink, faucet, and (my favorite) the vintage Boraxo dispenser. I took it all apart and cleaned out remnants of petrified Boraxo.  Ed mounted it on the wall and we filled it up. It's nice to know that some things don't change with time. Boraxo still has that wonderful grainy soapiness that I remember.





   One of the things we need to get done before the final inspection is porch rails. We ordered Clear View rails.  We have a similar product on the back balcony of the apartment. The front porch will have pickets and the back will have glass panels.
   Our neighbor Rick came over to give Ed a hand with the installation. Some things are just easier with two people working on them.

   As with everything else, each step makes a difference how it all looks. We still need the stair rail. The columns still need column caps and the upper portion wrapped.
   The two last big items will be a large cement pour for front, side and back walkways, and stairs off the back porch.
   The back porch rail and the upstairs balcony will have tempered glass panels instead of pickets. Ed is going to build very wide stairs in the center of the back porch. The stairs will require a hand rail only, which will leave a large portion of the back porch open to the view.

   In the last month, we've had rain, sleet, snow and yes, a week of glorious sunshine. The temperatures hit above 50* for several days in a row. Crabgrass knows what to do with sunshine, and so do I.  I dug out my gloves and clippers and went to work.
   The Wisteria-Vine-That-Ate-Chicago had to be hacked back to a manageable size. It had completely overgrown a huge rhododendron and half of a lilac bush. Blackberry vines were on a mission to outdo the wisteria.

   Himalayan blackberries are a non-native invasive species. For those that think that a wild blackberry pie is a good idea, well just walk over here so I can slap you. They take over and choke out everything they can. They have evil, vicious thorns. They are next to impossible to eradicate. That scene in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty where the thorns grow over the castle?  Blackberries...I'm almost positive. My arms got torn up something fierce...and this was a good year.
  The garden had no measurable attention last year. I raked leaves off the strawberry patch, pruned down the raspberries and pulled a pick-up truck full of grass.
   Then I did the unthinkable. I ordered seeds.