More confused than ever....
A J
7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (79)
izeve
7 years agoA J
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Confused about yellow jackets
Comments (19)After reading everyone's stories here, I thought my own yellow jacket experience worth sharing. I'd read all the bad things that comes from pouring gas or kerosene into the ground, but after several attacks by our little ground-dwelling monsters, I decided to resort to this particular form of chemical warfare. As the nest I was trying to eradicate was located in a slight depression in the middle of my backyard, it was situated perfectly for "pouring". But then... as a small creek borders my yard, I couldn't help keep away thoughts of benzene-disfigured frogs showing up at my doorstep some rainy night in the future. So... feeling guilty and in desperation, I had a vision... of the hot water heater. I'd heard about the boiling-water-down-the-hole solution, but the stove is a very long way from my backyard. But not the basement door, which is a straight shot of some thirty feet from the nest, and the hot water heater, about ten feet inside the basement door. SO... During a sunny late afternoon, with the little buggers zipping in and out, I carefully made mental note of the nest's entrance. Then, I rigged a ten foot pole (a couple of sturdy branches taped together with too sticky masking tape, the kind you'll never use again but can't throw away), taped the female end of a long garden hose to just inches over the end of the pole, then taped the rest of the hose securely to the pole. Then, I sat on the ground and slooowly crept the pole/hose combo along the grass towards the nestÂs entrance, careful to take many rests along the way, giving time for the little critters to adjust to the newby in the neighborhood. Once the end of the hose was just slightly off center above the hole (so as to not block the all-important flight path), I retreated back into the house to wait until the night. That evening, around nine, I went back to the hole; no guards were in sight, but I didn't lean too far over in case one of them got energetic to attack. I made a mental note of the hose's location, and VERY SLOWLY pulled it away from the hose and away from the depression. I went into the basement, connected the hose to the flush-out valve on the hot water heater, and turned on the water to get the hose heated up for the ultimate event. After a couple of minutes, I shut off the water, and went back to my pole and carefully pushed it back into its original position. I even cheated and used a flashlight to verify that I was in the correct position. And then I turned the water back on and essentially drained the hot water heater until the brass coupling on the hose was only warm. I expected some buzzing at the back door, but nothing happened. I figured I'd failed, but the next afternoon, upon checking out the nest, was amazed to discover that nary a bee buzzed in and out of the ground. Success! Now, if I can only figure out a way to get that masking tape off of the hoseÂ...See MoreXmas frustrations with Mr O, long, off topic
Comments (22)Oh my.......just reading all these all these posts have me smiling, and tears rolling down my face, plus a few chuckles, and the biggest, warmest feeling ever!! You all are the BEST. So much caring, support, advice, and enough sweetness that I feel like I'm in a candy store. :o) I truly love you for all the joy you give, and the big hearts you have. I'd be truly lost without you in my life. Fun2B, "Decorating shouldn't be a chore, but a joy."...very wise words. I've been concentrating on the work and not the joy, I'll work on that and my decorating this weekend! Thank you! Janet, you made me laugh with your DH's 'one spoon, one plate, one glass' and a LOT of tools.....while your 'junk' clutters up the house he thinks. LOL. Men! I don't know how to you make all those wreaths with everything on your plate, and all the pain you deal with too. So very hard on you!! Sending you love and prayers, always. Nana and Jane, sweet friends who know just the right thing to say about my Dad. :o) I'm sure you are right that he's watching over me. I think of him with every bit I do as he always said he loved how it looked and showed me how much he enjoyed it. You've given me an idea on some decorating, will tell you when it's done!!! Marlene, dear friend, could I please borrow your DH !! :o) I love all you said, and you really nailed it too! I really want to thank you for the compliments on my decorating. Hope I can live up to them. Party, you have a Mr O. too, including the obsessed golf part ?! What did God do....CLONE these guys??? LOL. You are right, (tho I don't recall him being a Scout,) if I give him a task he's pretty good at saying ok. I do think he'd draw the line at actually going thru bins or decorating. But he'd bring them in, if I asked. He seems to think if I don't ask, then I must not need help. Jeeez. You on the other hand are a huge help, I loved what you advised....."my advice is to choose a subset of decorations that are your favorites or most important to you and begin decorating. I think you need the decor to feel like the holidays and I think you need to go through the process of decorating." I am going to do this!! Phoggie, so nice to meet you! And thank you. I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband, and I hope I didn't make you sad with my complaining about my Mr. O. I know you must miss him terribly. Several of our ladies here are dealing with the same huge loss in their lives and I need to apologize to all of you if I was insensitive. I also regret you are another of us who suffer Fibro, but you're in good company here for sure! That is wonderful you've been asked to decorate for a home tour! You must do beautiful things. I hope you can share pictures with us. Yes, holiday depression this time of year is pretty common unfortunately. Since my Dad died, I sure had a bad time the last two Christmas'es with it. And fighting it this year, but at least I'm beating it for the most part. I look forward to Christmas Eve with family, but Christmas day makes me sad. Here 'alone' and its just another day. (Mr O still goes to golf course, tho its closed, and just practices. Or watches football.) I hope you hang around with us and keep posting, we're glad to have more members in our little "gang". :o) Hugs back to you. There's a lot of WISE women on this Forum, I sure know how to pick my friends! Y'all are Keepers! hugs, Karen...See MoreAnother bid and more confused than ever.....
Comments (2)snickety First of all, I am going to assume this will be your home for many years. When you speak of gas lines, is this natural gas or propane? I will also assume you are ruling out a grd source geothermal heat pump system. To answer your question, you do not need three separate systems. Here are my ideas. You need a heat/cool load calculation performed(Man J) for correctly sizing new HVAC. Have this done for each of the three areas you refer to in your post. Insist on this and get it in writing. For the main floor, I suggest a two stg heat pump with var spd blower. If you have nat gas, your backup heat can be a two stg 80% AFUE gas furnace. If propane, then forget the gas backup and go for var spd air handler with heat strip backup. For the bonus area, a sgl stg or two stg heat pump would be fine with var speed air handler. I do not like the Rudd quote for all kinds of reasons including brand and entry level equipment. You want systems with a minimum of 15 SEER for cooling and a 9 HSPF for heating with a var spd blower. I would zone the two areas on the first floor off one system and have a small separate system for the upstairs bonus area. Carrier/Bryant have a complete integrated system including zoning with their Infinity/Evolution controllers. Another choice would be Trane. Thus is what I would do if this was my new home and for the area/climate that you live. IMO...See MoreDeck Restaining Confusion.
Comments (4)Follow up: I rented a floor orbital and it did a great job. That went quick, but I got a little obsessive with the touch ups and spent a lot of time sanding. I didn't touch the spindles. The wood was looking fantastic, almost new, and after a LONG day I was able to stain the railings and posts. They turned out great but I wasn't able to finish the flooring the next day as planned cause it rained. It has not stopped raining since. I've never been so pissed at the weather. Here it's nearly October and it's supposed to rain from now on. SO........ WTF do I do? I can't stain a wet deck. I can't get so much as 36 hours of dry sunlight. Is there anything I can slap on for the winter to protect until I can stain in the spring? Will it survive a winter without anything? I had just sanded it really well before this perpetual downpour, so it's certainly soaked. Thanks again for any advice....See Morerococogurl
7 years agorpsinfoman
7 years agorococogurl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agorococogurl
7 years agorpsinfoman
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoizeve
7 years agorpsinfoman
7 years agosspeer9
7 years agorococogurl
7 years agoA J
7 years agoA J
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoA J
7 years agopoppy214
7 years agoA J
7 years agoA J
7 years agoA J
7 years agoJeannie Cochell
7 years agoA J
7 years agoTwoBelles
7 years agoizeve
7 years agoA J
7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agoA J
7 years agoTwoBelles
7 years agorococogurl
7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agoA J
7 years ago
Related Stories
FLOORSHow to Get a Tile Floor Installed
Inventive options and durability make tile a good choice for floors. Here’s what to expect
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGLet’s Clear Up Some Confusion About Solar Panels
Different panel types do different things. If you want solar energy for your home, get the basics here first
Full StoryFIREPLACESRumford Fireplaces Are Hotter Than Ever
Higher efficiency and good looks are leading homeowners back to this 18th-century fireplace design
Full StoryFURNITURE6 Decades-Old Designs That Look Better Than Ever
After getting a few nips and tucks, some favorites from the ’60s and ’70s have made a stylish comeback
Full StoryCOLOR8 Ways to Rev Up Your Garden Color With More Than Just Plants
Bring energy and excitement to your outdoor space by going bold with color, from small touches to big changes
Full StorySMALL HOMES28 Great Homes Smaller Than 1,000 Square Feet
See how the right layout, furniture and mind-set can lead to comfortable living in any size of home
Full StoryMUDROOMSFrom Coat Closet to Mudroom for Less Than $300
Clever DIY moves give a family of 5 the drop-off space they needed
Full StoryCOLORBedroom Color: The Secret to More Sex and More Sleep
Look to surprising revelations about bedroom wall colors to get more of what you want
Full StoryENTRYWAYSRoom of the Day: The Most Flexible Foyer Ever
With zones for a bicycle, meditation and storage, and a hand-painted concrete floor, this entry mixes practicality and cool good looks
Full StoryMOST POPULAR40 Dogs Who Are Having a Way Better Summer Than You
Houzzers share pics of their canine companions living it up — or getting down with relaxing — on warm days
Full Story
izeve