Category: Landscaping

Coming Together

Interesting 2 days.

First, I figured with this string of 100 degree days, I best make sure my little pile of decay experiment was still nice and damp, and water the gravesite for the buried version as well.

Peeling back the plastic revealed an entire new world of life and activity beneath it’s surface. I’m pretty familiar with most things that crawl, but here were species I’ld never seen before. In abundance. Fleeing from this invasion of light upon their dark world. At least 3 forms of mold were now growing on the newspaper as well.

I don’t know that this experiment will work any better than the gravesite method, but it sure is more interesting. I soaked the area again, and covered it back up. Let all those little things do their stuff. Eat them clothes! Fred needs a suitable wardrobe.

Speaking of Fred, my dad gave me a call as well. Just wanted to let me know he’s got a pole rigged up for Fred. Hasn’t tried to put it upright yet as that takes at least 2 people. I just say we’ll have to try it someday, to which I get the reply “I’ll be home Sunday!”

Ok. Guess Fred is going up Sunday! Front or back yard is now the question…While I would LOVE to have him out front, with the countdown sign for a day or two, it might just be a bit much for the neighbors this early. Poor little girl next door is still afraid of our house from last year as it stands. (Course, she has a good view of the back anyway, so that may not be able to be helped.)

So, with clothes coming along, and a pole prototype done, I just need check back in to see how my brother is coming along with finding the lighting for Fred.

Finally, we got the hut walls up and finished. As suspected, we’re having to switch directions with the roof again. Gluing the grass in place doesn’t look like it will work. Next plan is making panels to go up on the roof out of grass and duct tape.

More experimentations…

There’s always some little test going on at the house.

The green fire is coming along nicely.

I still need to figure some way of making it renewable. Soaking paper in the solution burned up too quick and was overpowered by the orange flames too quick. The next idea comes in the form of soaking wood chips.

Half-assed soaking of a lava rock gave a satisfying green burn for a surprising length. But, as it does not get consumed, it’s really not plausible to keep piling on more and more rocks…

The second experiment will likely begin this evening.

As spoken of previously, we’re looking for a means to make some nice suitable clothing for Fred. And, the first trial there was based on following the tutorial linked to over in the how-to section on the sidebar.

However, I’m a little wary of the fact that I don’t really have the pond water specified, and it may not rot quite as well.

Then, when looking up info on my grasses, I found this tutorial on clearing out grass for a flowerbed.

Sheet composting. Specifically the following section caught my attention.

“Sheet composting under a tarp works because the tarp traps both moisture and heat. Hot, dark moisture is one of the very best conditions for rotting.”

Hmmmm….that sounds aweful usefull…

Since we’re clearing a section of the backyard for a patio anyway, I may as well run a couple tests. I’m going to grab some more clothes, and run a test on what I belive will be the best depth for this rotting of the clothes. But, I also have a bunch of pants of Alec’s that no longer fit and have holes in the knees. We’ll place them at varying depths for testing purposes.

So, come fall, I’ll have 2 sets of clothes for Fred, and a bunch of pants. I’m sure we’ll have a difinitive answer as to the best means of rotting clothes by then.

And just who is this Fred I keep mentioning?

He’s been hanging out in the garage for a while now. Needs lots of work still. If you get the joke with the name, good for you. If not, you’re not missing anything.

Then, we have the Crystal Skull experiment going on in the garage…

This is THE most insane mold I’ve ever tried. If it works, it’s likely to be the only full size one I make, just from cost of the acrylic resin. But, here’s the redneck mother mold in all it’s glory…

And finally…

I was in Michaels this last weekend, getting the aforementioned acrylic resin. I always check the Model Magic just in case it’s on super special price or something. And, there on the shelf next to it was this “new” tag, and a bucket of Crayola Air Dry Clay. The stuff was much cheaper than other airdry clays, so I picked up the small tub.

First test, I just rolled a coil and let it dry overnight. It was pretty solid in the morning, but not completely dry. Jen tossed it out, and I can’t blame her for thinking it was just trash.

The second test was using it to add in a bit on a new model for yet another mold I’m making. Adhered great, pleasure working with it, but thinner portions cracked. Fortunately, the model in question, cracks just will add to the end item.

Now, the stuff is superior to model magic in that it’s cheaper, dries stronger, and tools and works like a traditional clay. However, it is a touch heavier when dried, and more prone to cracks, and might shrink a tad more.

Meanwhile I look at my ole powergrab. Needs a base to apply onto, cannot sculpt from the ground up. Strong and flexible…

The wheels are turning…Clay + power grab kneeded together….hmmmm….results coming soon…

Thar be booty!

Another commercial has caught my attention lately.

Family grocery shopping, the mom mentions BBQ, and the dad races off to grab the sauce, son in the cart. They round a corner, the son picks up some paper towels on the way, and the father shouts “YARRRR! Booty!!!”

No idea what brand of sauce the thing is for. But, it’s wonderfully entertaining. Almost as good as the one where the heart jumps out of the lady’s chest and stumbles down to the bosses office to quit.

Anyhow. We have booty!

First of all, Kyle finished off the schoolyear with the scholar dollar auction.

Selling skulls be profitable, it seems, as he made out fairly well, coming home with a nice poster of (fittingly) Jack Sparrow, and a grundle of toys.

And that’s not even counting all the junk food he ate over the sale days.

It’s been a curious little project. Among the course of making these little skulls, we came across a store who’s owner honestly wants to sell these things, and the full size ones, and the shrunken heads if I’m willing…for REAL. Interesting prospect. Bears some looking into.

And, it’s been a rough week in our personal life. This is not the place to go into detail on that, but as you’ll learn, I deal with rough spots by burying myself into making something for halloween. However, it happens to also be a rather slow patch right now in what I’m needing, and able, to actually do.

So, it was a blessing to come home from the movie Thursday night, and find a most wonderfull gift left on our porch with no explaination. A box full of skulls, and a bunch of staffs to put them on.

Now, clearly, they are a differing style than what I’ve been using. But, it doesn’t take long for my mind to come up with ways to factor them into the plans. And, as such I have a new project going just for these skulls. Just when needed.

It took me a moment to remember the discussion that led me to recall where they came from. However, the timing was truly inspired.

In other news. “Shrek”. My new mask. Not liking the painting job right now, but not much I can do till I get an airbrush.

To give you an idea of what’s going to happen after I get it painted right…(the skull won’t sit quite so high on the head there, it’s cut to fit, lower, but won’t stay without me gluing it on, which I can’t till it’s painted)

And, GROW little wierdo grass from Michigan!

Finally, Alec says ‘hi’.

1st year they sleep…

So, I got a call from Jen at work last Thursday. My plants had arrived.

Getting home, I see this cardboard box. A dirty, half disintigrated with water, crushed, and battered box. This is going well…

Ripping it open, I am greated with a plastic shopping bag, obviously the source of the water, as it had leaked some in transit. out of this bag I pull my 4 plants. What looked like 4 soggy, brown, balls of mushy sticks with bare roots attached. I should have gotten pictures, but was more worried about getting them in the ground. Not at all encouraged.

I dig 4 holes, and quickly slap these suckers in, and water them down. To my surprise, and pleasure, the next day all 4 clumps showed signs of life. And in a way unique, to me, anyway. Not that I’m a plant expert. This grass has a cane structure, like corn. Here, little sprouts started coming up from the center of the dead stumps from what must have been last year’s growth. It’s been really rather interesting to watch. The growth has been clipping along at a rather surprising rate, to me. Didn’t know plants moved so fast. I’ll have to get a picture up.

And, in looking around for information on the best care of these things,(more making sure my plans for them will not go killing them) I stumbled on what may end up being a better method to rot some clothes. May as well give it a whirl and see if it outperforms the simple burial method.

But, I also stumbled on this rule of thumb for these ornamental grasses.

1st year they sleep, 2nd year they creep, 3rd year they leap.

Sounds like a tag line for a bad horror movie. PERFECT.

Anyway, basically don’t expect the clumps to get much bigger this year. They’ll grow a bit next, and it’ll be the 3rd year before we see real growth in the size of the clumps.

More yardwork…

Got confirmation my plants have shipped from Michigan, and will “arrive before the weekend”.

So, cautiously optimistic about this whole process. And, assuming everything arrives in good shape, have to give thanks to EZplant.com. So, what the heck is with the planting for Halloween? And clearly not pumpkins?

Well, I’m getting quite tired of the price of corn stalks. And, yet, I missed them last year. We don’t have the room to plant CORN, and so we set out to find something of a similar look I can chop down each year to make my own pseudo-cornstalks.

And, we came up with this stuff. Tall enough, will regrow every year, easy maintanence, drought tolerant, not needing any feeding or wierd care, acts as a wind break to help protect things I might want to leave outside, and once it’s established I can get rid of the concrete border, and just let the lawn grow around it. In fact, get enough of it, and I might just seperate it, planting more bunches on the other side of that walkway to make a nice backdrop for some scarecrows.

Then I picked up some of this stuff here, locally. Up to 6′ tall itself, should provide thatching for various projects, if nothing else.

It will really likely be NEXT year before we really know how well this will work.