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March 05, 2005
look out basement... here i come!
i began today the work i need to do to make the basement accessible for the installers. there is a basement entrance that i never use. the landing at the outside of that entrance gathers leaves in the fall and cleaning those leaves out tends to be a task i procrastinate even more than my other yard-related tasks. i think it had been a couple of years since i'd last done it. so that was a priority.
after gathering the loose leaves into a yard waste bag, i pulled many pounds of wet compost out of that area. no, it's not a good place to compost, but the stuff i pull out of there is pretty amazing. there were lots of earthworms and it was rich and black. i spread it on my hosta bed... and hopefully didn't hurt my back lugging it out of that entry way (which is below grade and accessed from a short flight of stairs).
i made a list of items in the basement that i hope goodwill will be willing to come pick up, cleared out some trash items, and stowed some loose items on shelves in preparation for working on the floor.
the floor around the entry gets a lot of water and dirt coming in from outside. the result is a slippery black sludge that would have presented a hazard to people carrying large heavy items-- such as oh say a couple of gas furnaces. it's also completely disgusting, especially since my laundry area is right there. years ago i bought a tub of oxi-clean, thinking it might work on that floor. i never used it. today i wound up spreading the entire tub across the floor, wetted it with hot water and scrubbed it into the floor with a deck scrubber, then let it stand while i cleaned the leaves and compost out of the stairwell.
the result is pretty amazing. it took many buckets of hot water to rinse it away, but the floor is more tan than black now and once it dries it should be a lot safer.
i also got out my trusty steam cleaner and steamed the walls and door for about half an hour-- until the steam ran out. the sight of dirt dripping down the walls was pretty dramatic while i was doing it, but it seems like i barely made a dent. the steam also lifts the paint (which is probably being pushed up by moisture in the brick, anyway). but it feels good to know it is a bit cleaner.
i used my broom to remove a lot of cobwebs from the rafters, and had a chance to survey the many wires and pipes up there. i can see some stuff that i'd like to remove or tie up better before they get here... lots of stuff to be done.
tomorrow i'll mow in the area that they need to walk in to get to that entryway, and probably remove the thick layer of leaves from the back patio. and keep working on that basement....
yep. i think this is the year i tame that basement. (have i said that before? hmmmm....)
Posted by lisa at March 05, 2005 06:02 PM | TrackBack
Comments
What with the completeness of a shower, I swear that your basement belongs in some Hannibal Lecter movie.
Posted by: Phil on March 7, 2005 01:30 AM
I read in a book that leaves take a long time to compost because they tend to mat down, but they create a wonderful compost called "leaf mold." The book recommended making a circle of chicken wire or other open fencing, throwing leaves into it and leaving it alone for several years. Which is sort of what you did with your storm door! Maybe you could put up a chicken wire enclosure like that in the back of your yard for the uncomposted and half-composted leaves that weren't broken down enough to be put in your garden.
Posted by: Sarah on March 8, 2005 08:08 AM
the problem i always have with my back yard is that it's this big open rectangle with no nooks or crannies in which to put anything utilitarian like a shed, compost pile, etc.
in a way, it's a blank slate... and blank slates can be very intimidating!
also, the PO seems to have been fond of fairly symmetrical, regimented, plain designs and formal, ornamental plants. i generally prefer organic shapes in the garden, and less formal, woodland plants. i don't want to undo her work, but it's hard to know how best to add to it.
anyway, this is all theoretical, since the first step is to maintain it for a full year without tons of distressing weed overgrowth.
Posted by: lisa on March 8, 2005 10:03 AM
ok, so a) your comment won't post right away because i have to approve it first and b) you might get a server error but your comment probably posted anyway and c) previewing doesn't work so i've removed the preview button.