Zero-Scape

Time for some clean-up. Literally, that's the first one. Not too bad, either.

Second, I signed the original house papers and yes we have a deal. If you can remember, you're basically signing papers forever, in this case some amendments and then ... oh, we're moving and that is that, even if we have to lease our house near Austin. As a funnier moment, does anyone recall the following: "Sign zee papers, old man, sign zee papers." It was on a record or something ... I don't think it was Monty Python but maybe it was. A little foggy back then, it was.

Third I wanted to talk about Global Warming and what it meant for SPI and, bless my wife Lori's heart, she said "Get over it, Sam. Be happy."

She's right, you know. The House Detective (love that name) we hired found a few minor things but we can catch those later. I haven't quite approached the age where people would call me a "piddler" that has nothing to do but fix the house. In fact, the word can become a verb, as in "Hey Sam, whatchya piddlin' on?" As long as you don't say "My feet" any answer is basically acceptable.

One thing we want to do is build a big back porch, which would hang precariously off the north end of a south-facing house. I figure for less than $1,800 I can build a wooden deck over the existing concrete slab and make it semi-hurricane proof. No steel or iron allowed, so I'll have to find good but cheap fasteners (the salt air eats metal for lunch).

The last thing I want is pronounced "zero-scape" but the word starts with an "X". Xeriscape? Anyway, it means low or no watering and where now there is pure mowed carpet grass in the back yard I'm putting in plumeria, firewheels, salvia, lantana, passion vine, and all kinds of flowering schtuff, hopefully more native than not. Naturally I'll have to "Call Betty." Have y'all called Betty lately? That's the number for getting folks to mark your underground pipes and wires and such. They put down some really cool spray paint and you don't dig there - at least that's the concept.

Oh, and I have a digging bar I should put on eBay. What is a digging bar, you ask? Well, you'll have to guess - but let me tell you, I needed to resharpen it twice and then I slightly bent it, I mean customized it! Pure cast and fullered iron, it is. Something like $25, if you need one. I truly look forward to getting rid of the Some Beach.

Zero digging bar scape, that is.