superjames1992 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I went to my first Advanced Skywarn meeting tonight. And we need an April Banter thread, I guess, so here we are! Looks like a nice stretch of weather begins tomorrow until Tuesday or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastonwxman Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 It's about time that we did get in on some nice weather for the weekend. These past few days, excluding Tuesday, have been nothing but boring with the chilly rainy weather. We did need the rain, however, so the drought has been alleviated some. At least here we didn't get consistently flooding rains like other parts of the Southeast have been receiving. Couldn't imagine seeing more than 2 or 3 inches of rain suddenly busting out of nowhere in just a day or two. Just goes to show how impressive our pattern has been regarding precipitation. I will be taking a huge advantage of the warm and dry weather by getting in on more of my bike rides and most likely....having to cut the grass again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoothillsNC Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 It's about time that we did get in on some nice weather for the weekend. These past few days, excluding Tuesday, have been nothing but boring with the chilly rainy weather. We did need the rain, however, so the drought has been alleviated some. At least here we didn't get consistently flooding rains like other parts of the Southeast have been receiving. Couldn't imagine seeing more than 2 or 3 inches of rain suddenly busting out of nowhere in just a day or two. Just goes to show how impressive our pattern has been regarding precipitation. I will be taking a huge advantage of the warm and dry weather by getting in on more of my bike rides and most likely....having to cut the grass again. I finally got my grass cut yesterday. Actually paid somebody to do that since I was eager to put my new trees in the ground. I put a Green Mountain Sugar Maple on the west side of the house , after grinding up the stump of the tree that was there, its the one the March 2009 snowstorm took down. The new one was huge and the root ball over 200 pounds, my back is still sore today, it took me and 2 other guys to move it in place. It supposedly grows fast and will be a good shade tree in a few years. In front of the kitchen window I put a Nellie Stevens holly. Also put in several Knockout roses around the hundreds of Irises. Now, on to all the mulching today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Rain Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I mowed for the first time last weekend. I was half way through when my drive belt broke. Doh! I don't like lawnmower maintenance. I have to mulch at some point too. But first, it's weed spraying time. I don't like that either. I just really don't like yard work, now that I think about it. On another note, who is NC State's new basketball coach going to be? Billy Donovan or Shaka Smart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosie Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Home Depot has cypress mulch on sale 1.12 per bag, made 5 trips and now have 175 bags to spread, fun times ahead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyefan1 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Home Depot has cypress mulch on sale 1.12 per bag, made 5 trips and now have 175 bags to spread, fun times ahead! My neighbors cut down the pines in their yard and now there is a HUGE pile of mulch. They asked me yesterday to help them "remove" it from their yard I don't have a truck...but took an old sheet, lined the trunk, and now I'm on my 4th trip I'm gonna be sore tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosie Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My neighbors cut down the pines in their yard and now there is a HUGE pile of mulch. They asked me yesterday to help them "remove" it from their yard I don't have a truck...but took an old sheet, lined the trunk, and now I'm on my 4th trip I'm gonna be sore tomorrow It is all about the end result, definitely worth a sore muscle or two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wx4life Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Going to be working in the yard tomorrow So excited this will be the first time I've really had to get out there and piddle around!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastonwxman Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Managed to get in on a ride today with my bike, though it was quite an uphill battle against the wind as I moved further away from home but got a nice powerful tailwind push on the way back. I'll have to do a bit of yard work myself tomorrow since I'm sure that the weak tree branches were ripped off again from the wind gusts, which managed to peak at 35mph here. The more this occurs, the more concern that grows within me of the fact that one of these days, one tree in particular is going to fall around my house, especially if it were during a storm with winds speeds over 65mph, and I don't have the money for the city to come by and cut one down for me... Here's what one of those branches that fell looked like: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoothillsNC Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Managed to get in on a ride today with my bike, though it was quite an uphill battle against the wind as I moved further away from home but got a nice powerful tailwind push on the way back. I'll have to do a bit of yard work myself tomorrow since I'm sure that the weak tree branches were ripped off again from the wind gusts, which managed to peak at 35mph here. The more this occurs, the more concern that grows within me of the fact that one of these days, one tree in particular is going to fall around my house, especially if it were during a storm with winds speeds over 65mph, and I don't have the money for the city to come by and cut one down for me... Here's what one of those branches that fell looked like: Looks like you've got the jetpack /propane heat and AC unit combo. I had that at one point. Yeah the winds today were pretty strong. I'm gathering limbs and had enough trees topped to have a huge bonfire soon. Would have done it today if I weren't so sore from yesterdays work. Getting older is the pits. I sure can't do what I used to could do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWERSTROKE Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I finally got my grass cut yesterday. Actually paid somebody to do that since I was eager to put my new trees in the ground. I put a Green Mountain Sugar Maple on the west side of the house , after grinding up the stump of the tree that was there, its the one the March 2009 snowstorm took down. The new one was huge and the root ball over 200 pounds, my back is still sore today, it took me and 2 other guys to move it in place. It supposedly grows fast and will be a good shade tree in a few years. In front of the kitchen window I put a Nellie Stevens holly. Also put in several Knockout roses around the hundreds of Irises. Now, on to all the mulching today. Thanks for calling me to help. I told you I could do it in less than 30 minutes with the equipment i have. I am getting emily bruener hollies next week 10foot tall and probably 350 pounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastonwxman Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Looks like you've got the jetpack /propane heat and AC unit combo. I had that at one point. Yeah the winds today were pretty strong. I'm gathering limbs and had enough trees topped to have a huge bonfire soon. Would have done it today if I weren't so sore from yesterdays work. Getting older is the pits. I sure can't do what I used to could do. That unit has served me well for the past few years, keeping the house warm/cool as promised by my landlord. Haven't had to use it too much during our chilly period. Consequently however, its high performance leads to a high power bill and therefore I try not to use it as much as I really need to. Then again, it is rather old and you can easily tell just by looking at the pipe work involved. I see that you managed to get help with your grass cutting. Wish I could get someone to do it here but I have to cut it myself since the city isn't allowed to cut on this kind of property. The landlord herself, her son, and her dad help do the yard work and provide me with the weed eater and such. They were out here the day before the rainy period settled in gathering numerous fallen leaves and preparing a part of their lawn for gardening by tilling the ground. They haven't planted anything at that time since they knew things were going to get rather cold during the night period that week. I can only imagine how hard you have been working based on what I read from your two posts. I'm only turning 20 in a little less than 3 weeks and I already feel old myself.... Just not as energetic as I use to be when I was a kid despite the fact that I bike ride a good bit. Sorry to hear that your back has been killing you. I hate it when it just persist for a few days, sometimes several if it's bad enough. Glad to hear that you're getting trees put in. I bet they will become very helpful in shade provision sometime in the future. I have enough in my neck of the woods so no need for planting more here haha. I bet your home looks absolutely gorgeous with what you have surrounding it and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWERSTROKE Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 That unit has served me well for the past few years, keeping the house warm/cool as promised by my landlord. Haven't had to use it too much during our chilly period. Consequently however, its high performance leads to a high power bill and therefore I try not to use it as much as I really need to. Then again, it is rather old and you can easily tell just by looking at the pipe work involved. I see that it was Powerstroke who helped you with your grass cutting. Wish I could get someone to do it here but I have to cut it myself since the city isn't allowed to cut on this kind of property. The landlord herself, her son, and her dad help do the yard work and provide me with the weed eater and such. They were out here the day before the rainy period settled in gathering numerous fallen leaves and preparing a part of their lawn for gardening by tilling the ground. They haven't planted anything at that time since they knew things were going to get rather cold during the night period that week. I can only imagine how hard you have been working based on what I read from your two posts. I'm only turning 20 in a little less than 3 weeks and I already feel old myself.... Just not as energetic as I use to be when I was a kid despite the fact that I bike ride a good bit. Sorry to hear that your back has been killing you. I hate it when it just persist for a few days, sometimes several if it's bad enough. Glad to hear that you're getting trees put in. I bet they will become very helpful in shade provision sometime in the future. I have enough in my neck of the woods so no need for planting more here haha. I bet your home looks absolutely gorgeous with what you have surrounding it and such. no i didn't help him I said I told him I could do the trees. he is a little far aways to send the mowing crews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastonwxman Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 no i didn't help him I said I told him I could do the trees. he is a little far aways to send the mowing crews Hehe my bad. :blush: I mis-interpreted your post there for a moment. Still, it would be nice if I could get someone to help with a thing or two on my end. Like I said, I couldn't possibly pay the city to help cut this one tree in particular down. Can't afford to throw away $800 up front just to get the branches down sadly. It's a very old oak tree and it has seen its last few years. The branch from the picture I posted earlier came from that tree actually. You can tell because for one thing, it was blooming just a bit before Spring started but has since completely quit trying and now remains bare amongst the others. Nothing else to do but to get rid of it right quick before it's too late but at this point I doubt that will happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wx4life Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 5 wonderful hours of yardwork today...planted 1 bush,2 flowers,filled 2 flower planters full of who knows what,put 15 bags of red cedar mulch in both of the flower beds,laid out some marble rock in accent areas even put some grass seed out. Even though my husband did all of the brunt work I'm probably just as tired as him,but well worth it!What a beautiful day it has been Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoothillsNC Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Thanks for calling me to help. I told you I could do it in less than 30 minutes with the equipment i have. I am getting emily bruener hollies next week 10foot tall and probably 350 pounds well I know you're so far away, this probably wasn't quite a big enough job for you. I'm not sure about what Emily Bruner hollies are. I think I am going to dig the hole for the NS holly again, I just noticed the top of the rootball is 4 inches above ground, so thats probably not deep enough in? That unit has served me well for the past few years, keeping the house warm/cool as promised by my landlord. Haven't had to use it too much during our chilly period. Consequently however, its high performance leads to a high power bill and therefore I try not to use it as much as I really need to. Then again, it is rather old and you can easily tell just by looking at the pipe work involved. I see that you managed to get help with your grass cutting. Wish I could get someone to do it here but I have to cut it myself since the city isn't allowed to cut on this kind of property. The landlord herself, her son, and her dad help do the yard work and provide me with the weed eater and such. They were out here the day before the rainy period settled in gathering numerous fallen leaves and preparing a part of their lawn for gardening by tilling the ground. They haven't planted anything at that time since they knew things were going to get rather cold during the night period that week. I can only imagine how hard you have been working based on what I read from your two posts. I'm only turning 20 in a little less than 3 weeks and I already feel old myself.... Just not as energetic as I use to be when I was a kid despite the fact that I bike ride a good bit. Sorry to hear that your back has been killing you. I hate it when it just persist for a few days, sometimes several if it's bad enough. You mean you can't hire someone to cut your grass? Thats crazy. I usually just do my own, its a small yard though, and I actually enjoy cutting grass. I don't usually have to cut in mid June til late August though for obvious reasons. So far, the weather is perfect for everything. If you need the name of a cheap tree guy, I can send you a guy I know. He has gear and everything, but not insured, so thats something to think about. Straight from the hills of Rutherford County, if that means anything. LOL. Glad to hear that you're getting trees put in. I bet they will become very helpful in shade provision sometime in the future. I have enough in my neck of the woods so no need for planting more here haha. I bet your home looks absolutely gorgeous with what you have surrounding it and such. You mean you can't hire someone to cut your grass? Thats crazy. I usually just do my own, its a small yard though, and I actually enjoy cutting grass. I don't usually have to cut in mid June til late August though for obvious reasons. So far, the weather is perfect for everything. If you need the name of a cheap tree guy, I can send you a guy I know. He has gear and everything, but not insured, so thats something to think about. Straight from the hills of Rutherford County, if that means anything. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWERSTROKE Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 well I know you're so far away, this probably wasn't quite a big enough job for you. I'm not sure about what Emily Bruner hollies are. I think I am going to dig the hole for the NS holly again, I just noticed the top of the rootball is 4 inches above ground, so thats probably not deep enough in? You mean you can't hire someone to cut your grass? Thats crazy. I usually just do my own, its a small yard though, and I actually enjoy cutting grass. I don't usually have to cut in mid June til late August though for obvious reasons. So far, the weather is perfect for everything. If you need the name of a cheap tree guy, I can send you a guy I know. He has gear and everything, but not insured, so thats something to think about. Straight from the hills of Rutherford County, if that means anything. LOL. I don't use tree guys without insurance. They are your buddies until it falls on your house. As far as the trees I would have helped you. Am emily bruener has bigger leaves than the nellie stevens. I plant several nellies every year. Great choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amos83 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Rugged Maniac run is this Saturday in Greensboro. Anyone running it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weather Czar Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I mowed for the first time last weekend. I was half way through when my drive belt broke. Doh! I don't like lawnmower maintenance. I have to mulch at some point too. But first, it's weed spraying time. I don't like that either. I just really don't like yard work, now that I think about it. On another note, who is NC State's new basketball coach going to be? Billy Donovan or Shaka Smart? I got mine tuned up on Sat, Took me a few hours. Gonna try and mow for the first time this year after the rains tomorrow. It's only tall where the septic lines run, and a little in the front yard. My rental is pretty high tho, Gotta get it done this week too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmersonGA Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I saw some lightning bugs for the first time tonight. They were high up in the maple trees and I thought I was seeing things. I got my wife to confirm it though. I dont recall seeing them this early in the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MountainMarvel Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Red sky at night.....sailor's delight. This was tonight's sunset over the northwest Rutherford mountains. The mist photo was at sunrise this morning over Otter Lake. The You Tube video shows what happens when 29 degree air hits warmer lake water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWERSTROKE Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I mowed for the first time last weekend. I was half way through when my drive belt broke. Doh! I don't like lawnmower maintenance. I have to mulch at some point too. But first, it's weed spraying time. I don't like that either. I just really don't like yard work, now that I think about it. On another note, who is NC State's new basketball coach going to be? Billy Donovan or Shaka Smart? you don't like lawn mower maintenance? How you think I feel? I have 15 mowers to maintain. But maintenance is the key to the life of the machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I finally got my grass cut yesterday. Actually paid somebody to do that since I was eager to put my new trees in the ground. I put a Green Mountain Sugar Maple on the west side of the house , after grinding up the stump of the tree that was there, its the one the March 2009 snowstorm took down. The new one was huge and the root ball over 200 pounds, my back is still sore today, it took me and 2 other guys to move it in place. It supposedly grows fast and will be a good shade tree in a few years. In front of the kitchen window I put a Nellie Stevens holly. Also put in several Knockout roses around the hundreds of Irises. Now, on to all the mulching today. I wonder if you'll be able to tap that tree and get sap at some point. A little southern maple syrup would be cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmersonGA Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I made some maple syrup last year mrweaves. We had a good subfreezing morning followed by a 70 degree day in february. I drilled holes into some of our larger red maple trees and rigged up a tap and some mason jars. In 8 hours I had enough sap to make about a 1/4 of a pint of syrup. It was very good. We do have some sugar maples on our land but they are way back in the woods on a steep hill. I couldnt taste the difference anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solak Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 For the Raleigh area --- this is on the RAH home page... In the event of a Federal Government Shutdown the SKYWARN™ training day at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on April 9th 2011 will be cancelled... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I made some maple syrup last year mrweaves. We had a good subfreezing morning followed by a 70 degree day in february. I drilled holes into some of our larger red maple trees and rigged up a tap and some mason jars. In 8 hours I had enough sap to make about a 1/4 of a pint of syrup. It was very good. We do have some sugar maples on our land but they are way back in the woods on a steep hill. I couldnt taste the difference anyways. Cool. It takes an average of about 40 gallons of sap to produce a gallon of syrup. Last year Vermont led the nation in syrup production with about 800,000 gallons. You probably wouldn't taste much difference in the final product, the difference would be in the amount of sap needed to get syrup. Where is Emerson located? I assume that you are in the mountains near the SC, NC borders. I am originally from Camilla, about 30 miles south of Albany and my parents live in Thomasville now. No maples down there. Edit: Whoops, saw that you are in NW GA right after I posted this. My attention to detail FTL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEGa Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 jeesh this boring wx sucks we need some storms - fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoothillsNC Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I wonder if you'll be able to tap that tree and get sap at some point. A little southern maple syrup would be cool. I don't know, but I've always wanted one of these trees. I couldn't decide between Legacy or Green Mountain varieties but decided on the latter after the horticulturalist showed me some pics of both. It would be cool to see how the tapping of a tree works, I'm sure you being in Maple country know firsthand. I'm a little worried now, this tree's buds are dormant right now. No sign of life at all. There do seem to be buds but they're black. Hopefully I didn't plant a 300 pound dead tree! I'll scrub the bark tomorrow to see if I get some green. For the last 2 days I' mulched and mulched. Probably spread several thousand pounds all by myself with a shovel and wheelbarrow. Taking advantage of the nice weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I don't know, but I've always wanted one of these trees. I couldn't decide between Legacy or Green Mountain varieties but decided on the latter after the horticulturalist showed me some pics of both. It would be cool to see how the tapping of a tree works, I'm sure you being in Maple country know firsthand. I'm a little worried now, this tree's buds are dormant right now. No sign of life at all. There do seem to be buds but they're black. Hopefully I didn't plant a 300 pound dead tree! I'll scrub the bark tomorrow to see if I get some green. For the last 2 days I' mulched and mulched. Probably spread several thousand pounds all by myself with a shovel and wheelbarrow. Taking advantage of the nice weather. We have a guy in the NE sub-forum, Tamarack, who is a forester in Maine. He would be a good one to ask about that. As far as tapping goes, it's pretty straight forward. Just drill a hole about 3/4" into the tree using 3/8ths drill bit (could be a 1/4", I can't remember), hammer in the tap and hang a bucket. Warm days and cool nights and voila! sap will drip. Large operations connect their taps with pipeline that runs to large collection tanks. The general rule of thumb is about 40 gallons of sap for 1 gallon of syrup. If, by chance you ever do decide to try this and happen to get enough sap it can tough to boil inside on the stove because you have to do it for quite a while. Some backyard sugarmakers around here will use a propane turkey fryer. As for using the nice weather for yard work, it will be a while for me. I still have over a foot of snow in parts of my backyard. The 60's we are expecting this weekend should take care of a lot of that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoothillsNC Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We have a guy in the NE sub-forum, Tamarack, who is a forester in Maine. He would be a good one to ask about that. As far as tapping goes, it's pretty straight forward. Just drill a hole about 3/4" into the tree using 3/8ths drill bit (could be a 1/4", I can't remember), hammer in the tap and hang a bucket. Warm days and cool nights and voila! sap will drip. Large operations connect their taps with pipeline that runs to large collection tanks. The general rule of thumb is about 40 gallons of sap for 1 gallon of syrup. If, by chance you ever do decide to try this and happen to get enough sap it can tough to boil inside on the stove because you have to do it for quite a while. Some backyard sugarmakers around here will use a propane turkey fryer. As for using the nice weather for yard work, it will be a while for me. I still have over a foot of snow in parts of my backyard. The 60's we are expecting this weekend should take care of a lot of that though. Thanks for the info on the tapping. I may do that in my old age! I'm sure it will be a while before its big enough. My dad was an OTR trucker and his favorite place I think was going to Vermont...always brought back some real maple syrup. I don't recall where he got it, but we all liked it on the pancakes. I'm glad we've sprung right into Spring...3 months of cold bare ground, with the occasional snowfall is enough for me. I'm looking forward to working outside and in the dirt as early as late February. Inevitably we get the CAD event in March for a week or 2 that puts things on hold some. Hang in there your snow will melt soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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