I just neti-potted my house's sinuses

At the risk of making sure that no one comes to visit me ever, I'm going to tell you about my basement of horrors.

Life has been a little hectic around here lately. I'm refinancing, which means getting an appraisal, which means trying to tidy up the house and fretting a lot. One source of stress was the basement, which has one corner that smells strongly of mildew. I've been worried that we have mold growing underneath the laminate flooring in there. My allergies have been unbearable for the last six months and while most mold is a nuisance and not a true hazard, I was starting to worry.

Greg is only worried that the castor bean plant is now taller than him.

Greg is 6'2'. Audrey is topping 7' now.

I called Oregon Restoration and asked them to put in a bid to tear out the flooring and do mold remediation in there. Ryan came out and took a look and advised against tearing out the floor. He said that mold doesn't really thrive against concrete unless it has something to feed it, like wood or paper. The vapor barrier and the laminate don't really create an environment to support a bloom. He thought it more likely that there's mold on the back of the drywall.

I was like, "Why don't I just pay you to tear out the flooring anyway?" and he advised to wait until the rainy weather returns, so we can find out if there's water coming in. Then they can solve the moisture issue and explore behind the drywall. I was so ready to give him a bunch of money and he just wasn't having it.

In the meantime he said to call an environmental analyst to find out if we actually have a mold growth and what kind it is. They do readings inside and out to see if the readings are abnormally high inside the house. He also said to have the ducts cleaned, something I had been pondering last fall. He cautioned that the companies that charge $79 do a bait-and-switch where they quote you a low price, then once they are inside the house, claim they've found something awful and need $500 if they're going to do it right. He recommended Power Vac, so I called them out.

I really wanted to have my ducts cleaned last November but the Internet was so full of conflicting information. Ducts are too slippery to hold dust so duct cleaning is a waste of money! The mold retardants they use are more toxic than the dust! If you don't clean your ducts you'll get the Hanta virus! On and on.

Well, I can officially confirm that my ducts can hold dust. A lot of it. The dude from Power Vac, who was incredibly nice, declared them "pretty grody."

Before

And after:

DAYAM. And another:

Before

After

They run a pipe from their truck into your furnace, so all the stuff they are sucking out goes into a containment system outside the house. They didn't spray any chemicals into my vents, which I was pretty happy about. It is incredibly loud, what with the big sucking hose and the little hose hooked up to the air compressor to blow all the dust out.

I'm not holding out much hope for this improving my allergies (I really think it's mold) but I am so glad I did this. They are running a 10% off special right now, so it came to about $300. It took about 3.5 hours to complete. They only recommend doing it every 5-7 years, so it really seemed worth it. I'll report back if my allergies improve. In the meantime I'm not going to show you pictures of the ENORMOUS spiders we've been finding in the basement because I'm already worried you won't come to my slumber party. My mom bought Otter Pops and my sister said we can borrow her Oiuja board and everything! Come on, guys.

And then we built a giant litter box

I've been plotting what to do with the left side of the front yard, under the dogwood tree.

And by "I've been plotting" I mean that I emailed Scott and asked him if he'd design a grass/meadowscape for me. And because he is awesome, he agreed. He drew up an incredible plan that incorporated drought tolerant grasses and wildflowers, all in the color scheme I wanted. And then he gave me a bunch of seedlings. And now Greg is concerned because I natter on about Scott all the time. And Scott will probably stop answering my emails after reading this, because I'm bordering on swimfanning here.

Thank goodness I never got an itch to plant this side of the yard before because I was reading a recent issue of Fine Gardening and they mentioned that dogwoods have shallow root systems that resent being disturbed. I won't be able to use a sod cutter, sadly. I'll have to move more slowly than I'd like, slowly smothering the lawn and using very small plants so I don't cause any damage to my 75 year old tree.

I started with the area outside the drip line, where we'd had our giant dirt pile all spring:

It was weedy but still mostly clear of sod. I worked with my half moon edger (that Greg sharpened with his Dremel tool) for an hour or so and made slow progress.

Then Greg came out with the pickax and cleared the whole area in about 15 minutes while I fretted, "Watch for roots!"

We ran into one tiny root so I didn't worry too much about piling the mulch on comically high.

Next Scott and I are going to make a trip to Wind Dancer and do some shopping, then I'll have to carefully start to smother another section of the lawn. I was going to use a method described here where you use 8" of wood chips to smother the sod. It's supposed to be more effective than smothering with cardboard and it supposedly maintains better soil health, BUT. What do I do with all those wood chips afterward? I don't want wood chips in my landscape. I supppose I could keep moving them around as I smother new parts of the lawn but that seems like a pain in the ass.

Any input from anybody who has removed sod under a fussy tree would be welcome.

In the meantime we're enjoying our giant cat toilet.

That money isn't going to spend itself

Several months after I moved into the house I moved a piece of plywood that was over our basement floor drain and noticed that when the washing machine emptied, it made this happen:



I ran some hot water and vinegar down the drain and that helped a lot but it was still backing up onto the floor. It's never been high on my list of things to spend money on because it doesn't really hurt anything and it looked way too gross to snake myself (plus mine's not long enough) and getting a pro in costs $115, and do you know how many plants that will buy?

I don't know why but I finally started worrying about it and the money in my checking account isn't going to spend itself, so I called Grumpy's Drains and they sent someone out two hours later.

He was very nice (I WANTED THE GRUMPY GUY) and he said our floor drain is still in good shape, though they generally only last 50-60 years. Mine will be 75 next year! He gave me the number of a trustworthy contractor, in the event that it does finally give up. And then I snapped one of those fancy $3 covers on it. Like a grown up.

On a semi-related "things in the basement" vein, I've been using an iPhone app that I really like called "Time Flies." It cost $.99 and it has a very simple interface to keep track of things you don't do very often. I use to track when I flush the water heater, change the furnace filter, apply fish emulsion in the garden, or clean the gutters.

It doesn't remind you to do anything but it will tell you how long it's been since you cleaned the range hood (really? it's been that long?). So if you know you're falling behind but maybe don't know how far behind, this one is for you.

The boy is earning his keep

I took off on Sunday to see an HPSO open garden (that Loree covered here) and couldn't convince Greg to go with me, which is crazy because he really would've liked it. When I got back he said, "I made a change in the backyard." Those words always make me nervous.

Before

After

After we put the bamboo in the stock tank it dramatically turned yellow (Laurrie says it was pulling its energy into root reformation), a few of the culms died, and then it greened up again. I hit it with fish emulsion last week and it responded by sending up new culms. We still had a bare section in the middle of the tank so Greg dug up the last of the in-ground bamboo and got it in the tank, after removing the dead stalks.

I've never known how two-gardener households landscape without killing each other. I *might* be able to do it if it involved more surprises like this. I think we need a second stock tank now, no?

Summer in the garden

Most of the late summer action is going on in the front yard. Things are finally filling in. The castor bean is almost as tall as me (5'6"). I've given it ample water and fish emulsion, and of course the weather cooperated. I didn't think I believed in annuals but I have been converted. Totally worth the money.

Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' and Zauschneria californica 'Wayne's Select'

Sedum 'Matrona'

Happy agaves

This blue alkanet (Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet') may have been planted too late in the season to get blooming out of it this year (come on, Indian summer!) but I really like the form of the foliage. It's so cheerful.

Agastache 'Ava' has not disappointed. The form is incredible and I never have to water it. My only wish is that the color was hotter.

In the backyard it looks like we *might* get mature figs this year. Everybody cross all your fingers!

I tucked some agave pups into the wheelbarrow planter. So far, so good.

This sedum combo was sort of an accident and I'm digging it.

Left to right: Sedum 'Bertram Anderson, Sedum oreganum, NOID sedum

In bummer news, the stalks of Sedum 'Frosty Morn' that I Chelsea chopped didn't bloom. The long floppy stems are blooming but they look really leggy. I might chop all of them next year, since I prefer their foliage. Has this happened to anyone else? All of the other sedums that I pinched back bloomed normally.

Sometimes, when your boyfriend is very mischievous, he'll leave these creepy bamboo roots that look like creatures from a Guillermo del Toro movie lying around and scare the shit out of you. Punk.

Readying for guests

My two oldest girlfriends are coming into town this weekend so I've been prepping the guest room for their arrival. I've been googling "guest room essentials" which turned up some good tips (Kleenex!), as well as some weird ones ("an orange or an apple").

As an aside, I've shared a bed with all of my friends at some point, male or female. We take trips together so I know exactly who snores, who hogs the blankets, and who will spoon you accidentally. Greg was really confused about how my two friends were going to deal with the one-bed situation.

"So wait, they're going to sleep together?"
"Yes. Why is this weird?"
"I don't share beds with my friends. How will that even work?"
"You've never shared a bed with a platonic friend? I imagine one will sleep on the left, and the other on the right. It's a queen sized bed and they are both petite. It should work."

And then Greg gave me one of those "women are such a mystery" looks and I thought, "It's a good thing you're cute because you sure can be weird sometimes."

Now that we had that sorted out, I just had to figure out where to put the apple or orange. In other essentials news, I've got two ottomans, which work as luggage stands and can hold towels. Or I guess they could sit on them.

I cleared out some space in the closet (extra blankets in there) and hung some wooden hangers. All of the online guides were very specific that the hangers must be wood. Joan Crawford, your legacy is undeniable.

I hung these sweet bird hooks that Bill gave me. They have very strong magnets under their chins that can hold keys or anything metal. Their beaks can hold mail or paper reminders. Or you can just hang a wet towel over them.

All of the online guides were like, "A robe! How about a robe? Have you thought about a robe?" I own five robes, one of which I spent a hot week in the summer sewing myself, and I never ever use any of them. But okay, fine, I'll give them robes.

I've got a box of Kleenex (note to self: buy a better looking square box), an iPhone charger, and an alarm clock.

Bottled water and two glasses. That's a real plate that looks like a paper plate, another great gift from Bill. I want them to be hydrated while they sleep together like cretins.

I dusted our packed bookshelves. They feature my signed picture of Stephen Colbert and the "no hamburgers" sign from the library where I used to work. You know why we had those? Because someone left a hamburger in the stacks one day. College students are animals.

And I hung the dragon doodle that Bill created for our last Chinese New Year celebration. None of the online guides mentioned dragons, but I'm sure they meant to.

I doubled up and hung the dragon calendar. Nothing says "luxurious spa-like experience" like dragons. Bill also gave me this. Don't you wish you were friends with Bill? He gives the best presents and he'll help you replace the wax ring on your toilet. He also won't bat an eye at sharing a bed with you.

I bought a rad new pot from Garden Fever and put out an empty bowl for jewelry. There are magazines and a few light books. I put out a bottle of smelly moisturizer, mostly because one of the visiting friends hates smelly beauty products. The best hostesses are a tiny bit irritating. If they weren't, guests would never leave.

And a fan. I love fans. I love the white noise, I love it being as cold as possible while I sleep.

I also washed all the bedding, down to the mattress pad, even though no one has slept on them since the last time I washed them. Like an idiot I left the comforter in the dryer too long and singed it. If the girls notice I'll tell them that a dragon scorched it. If they don't believe me I will hit them in the head with that stupid orange.

I have extra toiletries and a hair dryer in the bathroom and there's fruit in the fridge, where it belongs.

What am I forgetting?

That stupid wheelbarrow

Last summer I bought this old cracked iron wheelbarrow at Salvage Works in Kenton.

I planted it with lavender, then sedum Autumn Joy, then with a lot of weeds. Everything I've planted has just looked too precious when I wanted the look of gothic rot.

This summer two different girlfriends exclaimed over how cute the wheelbarrow was and I tried to pawn it off on them but no one wanted to bike home trailing an old iron wheelbarrow. It only weighs 50 pounds, JEEZ. So I'm trying again.

I really wanted to do an enormous agave in this but the wheelbarrow is really shallow. I just don't think it would survive (or get big in this climate). So I did a mix of Sedum 'Postman's Pride' (the tall purple), Japanese golden sedum (the gold), Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' (the blue one you can't see because it matches the gravel, whoops), and a mystery pink-blooming sedum that I got from Linda.

I might still sneak an agave pup in there and see what happens. Then I'll compulsively move it around the yard, which is a real treat to watch. This iron behemoth is top heavy and steering is dicey, so moving it is like getting a toddler drunk and setting them loose on a tricycle. Putting something pokey in there will only make it more fun.