Spring Cleaning and The Garage Door

Home improvement is a never ending cycle of cleaning, fixing, examining and wondering. I have come to believe that the most important facet in all of this is cleaning. Although, I have spoken about getting rid of spider sacks and webs and generally stepping up my cleaning game for the outside of the house, not enough can be said about the fact that cleaning improves everything. When I commuted Monday through Friday, cleaning of the exterior and interior of the house suffered. By Thursday, it looked as if a wind storm had swept throught the inside of the house as I busily made a list of things to do on the outside of the house for the weekend. Basically, finding time to keep things spic and span is difficult, if not impossible if you work a 9 to 5 job and have a significant commute. Now, since I am not commuting, I have had the opportunity to keep the home clean inside and tackle chores outside during the week. I am saying this for all the people who wonder why they can't get every chore that needs to get done during the week. Unless you have help; someone to clean the inside, trim the outside and make sure that everything that can go wrong in a home is immediately fixed, then cut yourself a break.

Being at home, I have learned a few things and made a couple of observations. Everything benefits from some cleaning. Even if it breaks while you are cleaning it, it was probably going to break anyway and probably at an inopportune moment.

I have an electric garage door opener with a torsion spring. The motor is mounted on the wall instead of the ceiling. Like many electric openers, it also has safety sensors located inside the garage, a couple of inches from the ground on each side of the door. The sensors have a beam that will either stop or reverse the direction of the door if it is broken. Unfortunately, the door would not always open fully when the opener was pushed, or the door would open very, very slowly. Sometimes, the garage door would only open about six inches and I would wind up pressing the opener until the door was at its highest level. I tried to trouble shoot the problem on my own, had other people look at it and finally paid someone to fix the problem. He told me I needed a new door and a new opener. It was very frustrating, eventhough I thought I was doing all of the required maintenance for the door.

One day, as I did my quarterly lubricating of garage door parts, I noticed that one of the rollers had come off of the track. I called my neighbor for help and as I waited for him to come over, I noticed a lot of dirt and cobwebs on and around the safety sensors. So, I grabbed my broom and began cleaning around the sensors.  My neighbor spectacularly put the wheel on track and then we tried the door. It opened and closed with ease. Later, when I used the door, it again  opened and closed with ease. A week passed and still no problem with the door. The light bulb went on for me. It just needed a good cleaning. The way the wind comes in, the door becomes a natural barrier, but all of the dirt and leaves, become lodged on either side of the door (where the sensors are). About a month passed and the door began slowing again. Then one day it stopped going up about half way. Again, I pressed the garage door opener and it went up all the way. Then I took time to clean around the sensors. Dust, dirt, and webs around the beams, seems to impair the function of the door. The manufacturer also stated that sunlight can affect the safety sensors. But I have not found sunlight to be the cause of my door not functioning properly. It's just dirt.

Although this means that there is one more thing to put on the "clean once a month list", it is certainly better than buying a new door and opener.

The Sound of Grass Growing

This week marks the arrival of the vernal equinox; for some of us, that means spring. Although, we are expecting snow on the vernal equinox,  I have been on my hands and knees cleaning the leaves left over from autumn. I could see the beginning of  flowers that will not bloom fully until summer. All of the plants were growing and pushing themselves into position for the warmth to come. I was impressed. But, this was also a call to arms. I have plants that I did not divide nor dig up in the fall that are already pushing themselves up and out. I am always a little behind on that sort of thing. Unfortunately, these are the plants that have the ability to spread without too much help from me. I am talking about tall grasses, like maiden grass. No, not short lawn grasses, like Kentuck Blue Grass, but tall grasses that are slowly overtaking everything.

I am not sure if this particular grass is an ornamental maiden grass and part of an invasive species. Because, I am in Illinois, we also have tall grasses that are native to the area. Grasses are particularly difficult to dig up, they have rhizomes that sends shoots laterally (hence, the squeeze on my other plants) and strong roots that prevent them from just being pulled up. This makes them particulary suited to this area, as in late summer we can go for weeks without rain. The strong root system keeps these plants alive.  No flowers or shrubs can stand in its way as it marches across my lawn. 
Maiden grass is beautiful and hardy. It comes in a variety of types and colors. Because it is a grass it can get very tall (three feet, at least); it seems to stretch several inches after each rain fall. At the end of last summer the grass was easily taller than the porch bannister and if I knew how to use a scythe it would have been easier to cut for the winter. It does very well in full sun, but does not seem to thrive as readily in the shadier parts of the lawn. It does not get bothered when it is very hot and we are in drought. It simply waits. Once the rain drenches it, the plant will grow exponentially. The other risk with this grass is that it will get very dry in between rain cycles and that can be a fire risk. Therefore, I am making the decision to dig up the grass that is directly in front of my wooden porch. I have another raised bed that has a grass plant in it that I will keep - for now.

Recessed Lighting Is Not My Friend

Things are just never as easy as they seem. I have recessed lighting throughout my home. It's been great in closets (no spare bulb hanging by itself with just a string or metal pull to keep it company)and in the kitchen. And for the first time since I moved in - a bulb blew. I thought that it would be a quick and easy fix. Climb onto the counter and change the bulb. NO. The bulb was so tight in the housing that I couldn't get my fingers around it. Then I thought that perhaps there was a hinge and I could pull it down. I saw the dust coming from the trim, and nothing, nothing bulged. And when it did, it seemed as if the housing was actually going to break. I stopped pulling. I hate to break things...anything. Okay. I climbed onto the counter top and tugged at the trim again and...nothing. Just more dust to clean up and a defeated ego.
I was just disgusted. To make myself feel better, I went to my local home improvement store and bought somethings to make life easier this spring. For some reason, I did not bring up the subject of changing a bulb in a recessed housing to any of the helpful home improvement store people. Stupid. But, I bought a wagon (for the garden)and felt pads for the bottom of my kitchen chairs. I thought for sure the felt pads would be my win. I was protecting my wood floors. I was improving my home!
I decided to do that little project correctly. I was not just going to slap the felt on the feet of the chairs...I was going to clean the feet of all debris. I got a bucket, warm soapy water and plopped each rubber foot into the bucket. Then I noticed the big black stain on the carpet. Oil from one of the chairs. Did my not facing the recessed lighting debacle lead me to wanting a win so badly, that I stained my beige carpeting with oil? I finished putting the felt on the chairs. Then I bought out another cleaner to work on the carpet. Defeated again. And still, my light bulb was not changed.
That night I hit the internet for hints. I learned how to install recessed lighting and the importance of not tugging at the housing - oops. So, I cleaned off the counter and climbed on top. Using a technique I can only describe as, pushing in and turning counter clockwise with only my finger tips, the bulb began to turn and eventually dropped into my hand. Success! With the bulb in hand, I went back to the home improvement store I visited earlier in the week and bought a replacement bulb. Happily, I now have a full lighting in the kitchen and a healthy respect for recessed lighting.

Mushy Ground

I am starting to see more of the lawn as the snow slowly recedes; I am excited. We are far from a final frost, but this is just a beginning step as spring slowly creeps in. I really just can't wait. Today, even as the sky remained overcast, the temperature broke 32 degrees fahrenheit and I found myself in the garage...cleaning and preparing.

Eventhough, I did a fall cleanup there was plenty to do, and of course less spiders to worry about. I also thought that it was a great time to clean off any old webs and spider sacks before the weather warmed up and I had scene from a bad horror film. Yes, bugs are a recurring theme with me and I want to tackle them without always using a pesticide. For spiders, it's important to keep areas clean and wipe away spider sacks.

I still don't know what to do about the ants that are a real nuisance in the spring, summer and fall. Unfortunately, I have raised planting beds up against the house; that is a point of entry for some insects and it also creates a good habitat for many to live in. Again, because I want to use as few pesticides as possible, it's important to consider the changes I need to make in order to have a less hospitable habitat for them. From roly-polies (pill bugs), yellow jackets, ants and centipedes...all of these animals play an important role in the environment, but they can also make us miserable at the same time.

It also means that I have to step up and make sure that I am keeping the garage and outside of the house clean; seal cracks and other holes that bugs may set up house in; educate myself on the insects in my area and what attracts them. For instance, a while back, my father had a leaking pipe, the following year there was an exponential increase in household centipedes. Yuck! They are not insects, but relatives of shrimp! They needed the water to survive and thrive. Leaking pipe = more centipedes. The leak was fixed and the centipede number dwindled. So,that is my pre-spring cleaning plan. Find the "leaking pipes" that make my home or surroundings so hospitable to insects and fix them. In that way, I will use less pesticides and potentially harmful chemicals while enjoying my time outside in the yard or inside my home.

In Praise of Power Tools: Heart Attack Snow

This week, we along with the rest of the country, had another round of snow. It was predicted that our area would get three inches of snow. We got six. Surprise. What wasn't a surprise was the type of snow; heavy, water laden snow, commonly referred to as "Heart Attack Snow". This snow is hard to push and difficult to pick up. Unfortunately, each year, a number of people die after shoveling it.
I didn't want to be part of that statistic and instead of a snow shovel (I have three and they all serve a particular function), I used an electric snow thrower. Last year, I realized that a snow shovel was not always the best implement for clearing snow off of a driveway. If the snow is to deep or heavy I couldn't move it on my own. This year I invested in the snow thrower to give me help when needed.
To tell you the truth, I had been holding out using it because I wasn't very comfortable using power tools. When I was growing up, I, because of my gender, wasn't allowed to use any power tools; excluding the vacuum cleaner. Power tools were the purview of men.
But this week, it was time to face that nagging insecurity. So I plugged it up, pushed the start button, pulled the bail and away I went. I was in awe! Snow flew from my driveway and into the yard. I learned to put the cord on my left (and not on my right, as I would do with a vacuum). No wonder men love power tools.
Soon, I had enough room for the car. I felt fabulous! Not just because my driveway was cleared of snow, but because that nagging insecurity about power tools, became less influential. For me, owning a house is just like everything else; sometimes the worst part is not when I do something and it doesn't work, it's when I don't try at all. For now, power tools are great, I just have to remember to unplug them, don't stick important body parts in them, wipe them off after use and always give myself time enough to use it properly. In as much as I am impressed with the precision of tools that are not "juiced", there is a time and place for those tools that allow us to be a little more powerful.

Planning Your Garden: The Bad Boyfriend Pond

This week I've come across several newspaper articles that reads something like "Now is the time to plan your garden". Really? I thought I was supposed to be planning my garden in the fall as I cut back plants, put up patio furniture, unhooked the hose, and generally prepared for winter.

I have garden plans and I dream of heirloom tomatoes, pesticide free zucchini, yellow squash and other goodies. But, the looming obstacle is a man made pond that is in need of repair. Like a bad boyfriend, I have given it more attention than it deserves. This past summer the pump. Not good. And if one thing needs fixing, other things need to be fixed also. And they did. The man made pond - that I did not make - became my failure, of sorts. As everything from supports not supporting, electrical outlets not having electricity and pond water leaking from an unseen hole (or holes) it was apparent that an overhaul was needed. Like all bad boyfriends, the pond became an object of hope.

Well, I hope that works. I hope the water comes out. I hope I can find the hole(s). I hope...

This spring, the pond can no longer be the sole object of affection in the yard. There are plants, compost piles and mulch screaming for attention and they, yes, they have been with me through thick and thin. My garden is planned for the most part and I, like others cannot wait to get out and separate plants and dig into a ground that winter has finally relaxed its grip on. The pond in the back will get its due. A new pump and a reconfiguration that will use less water and be easier to keep up. It will not be the bad boyfriend any more and I will no longer run home hoping that it will change.

Snow! Snow! Snow!

By now most of the country has had snow hit the ground, trees, or roof tops. It doesn't seem as if anyone has been spared (except Hawaii). I am happy that in the southern suburbs of Chicago, the snow came in under 12 inches.


It took me three outings and most of the day to clear the driveway. Truthfully, a three foot swath was not (and will not) be shoveled. I was lucky, a neighbor with a snow plow cleared several inches away, so I did not have to shovel the entire nine plus inches of fresh powder. But, what I had was enough.


For those of you who don't know, I am new to home ownership, however, I'm not new to snow. I grew up in Chicago and went through the big snow of 1979. I shoveled the side walk with abandon and with the promise of hot chocolate and a couple of extra dollars when I finished, I was happy. Now, I live in the suburbs of Chicago. The driveway often seems too long when it has to be shoveled or plowed when the snow falls.

This was a struggle last year. I am a single woman, surrounded by families. I have learned several things in this year of home ownership. First, it is the men who do the majority of yard work. Secondly, I learned that I was itimidated. I fantasized about having a man I could turn to and say, "Honey, why don't you ask John what fertilizers he uses on his lawn." But, that was not going to happen. During, the year I would break out in a sweat, if I had to do anything outside. Cut down plants, rake the yard, dig mushrooms/toadstools out of the yard, pick up the daily paper. Why? I would be the single woman who just couldn't hack it. I feared being the neighbor who's lawn, house, or activities, just didn't live up to the rest of the neighborhood. I saw the men with their very manly machines, seemingly in control of everything that they did.


A year can make a difference and being adopted by the 80 year-old widower next door can help a lot. He's the one who told me that the house will shift twice a year; he mulched my leaves when I was at work and he told me the best way to clean leaves out of the gutters (get on top of the roof ). This winter, I was less intimidated and kept my driveway almost as clean as the guys (with help from the neighbor with the plow). I would get out out and shovel and not worry about what anyone thought of me. How did that happen...I don't know. Perhaps, I was much more comfortable in my own skin and therefore I was more comfortable letting others see it also. Or, perhaps, I was comforted by the many stories involving men falling off their roofs or getting fingers caught in snowblowers or lawmowers. Or, perhaps, I was no longer the new kid on the block. Now, as I work out outside, I am more confident. The guys on the block are a treasure trove of information. And each time I beat the guys and am working in the yard before them, I feel even better.