Global Chirp Garden Almanac

We aren't updating anything in the house at this point. All of our time and effort is outside, so please view Global Chirp Garden Almanac to see what we are doing.

The Garden Grows

The "soil" in the yard is just loose sand with very little organic matter, so we decided to try a raised bed to grow a few vegetables. Gerad built a garden box this weekend and added a wire cage on the top to try to keep the squirrels out. I'm trying to decide the best place for the box in the yard. After watching for a day, I realized the current location doesn't get enough sun, so I may move it away from the house a few feet.

We also need to think about rain water management. In the upper left corner, you can just see the bottom of the rain gutter. When it rains, it floods this section of the yard. We are going to add rain barrels to catch the water for use in the yard and for the veggies.

Next step: I need to make a mix of compost, moss and vermiculite to create a healthy, nutritious soil, and then need to start some veggies.

Recycling??

I'm still trying to determine how and what can be recycled. When the construction and remodeling equipment was removed from the garage, a blue recycling container emerged from the mess. I knew I needed another bin, so I called in to see how to get another one. It was dropped off for free a few days later. That is good service.

I watched the neighbors, and sorted out that the recycling bins were placed on the curb each Thursday morning. I realized that others had put out larger things than fit in the blue bin, so I tried as well, but had those items left on the yard. My neighbor tried to help saying that everything had to be less than a 40" and tied together with twine, so I did that but had it left on the yard again. The following week, I stopped the driver and asked what I was doing wrong. He said I should check the website but he couldn't or wouldn't provide additional information.

I'm looking at the list of what is acceptable for Tampa FL Solid Waste Recycling site, and realized I had better stop complaining because the driver didn't take a few pieces of cardboard. I have been placing items in the recycling bin that can't be recycled here. I'm lucky I didn't have a lot more dumped back on the lawn. I'm not doing too badly, but I haven't been removing the lids and I haven't been putting all of the paper in a paper bag. I'll try to follow the guidelines as indicated.

What can be recycled curbside in the blue recycling bin? (from the website)

• Phone Books
• Paperback books
• Junk mail
• Cereal boxes
• 6-Pack soda boxes
• Office paper
• Cardboard*
• Magazines
• Newspapers & inserts
• Catalogs
• Plastic bottles (numbers 1 and 2 only)
• Aluminum and steel cans (including empty aerosol cans)
• Gable-top beverage containers (juice & milk containers)
• Glass bottles & jars (all colors)

PREPARATION of Recyclables:

• Please remove caps and lids and discard
• Please place all paper in a brown paper grocery bag
• Please remove the vellum windows from all envelopes
• No need to remove labels
• Please rinse all containers before placing them in your bins

Not all the Florida counties have the same rules for recycling. Another Tampa Florida site says,

It is important to note that the recyclability of a product is not determined by a symbol. In most cases, recyclability is determined by what is accepted in the local community by recyclers, as well as the industry. In order for a material to be truly recyclable, a market must exist so that the material can be sold, reprocessed and then made into a new product or material.

Kitchen Upgrade

We love the beauty of the granite counter tops and the polished terrazzo floors. Inside each cupboard, however, is a nightmare of hard-to-reach space. We received an advertisement from ShelfGenie in one of the many packets of ads that arrive in our mailbox. I called them this week to get more information. It seems to be a top quality product, so they came over, measured and gave us an estimate. We will get 12 pullout shelves total so all the lower cabinets in the kitchen will have 2 pullout shelves plus the under-sink areas in both the kitchen and a bathroom will have a single pullout shelf. Besides being more convenient to use, having 2 pullout shelves in each cupboard will almost double the usable space in each cupboard.

We asked if the economy was hurting his business. His reply was that, no, it is helping. People are in competition to sell houses, so they are doing whatever they can to update and upgrade their homes to make them more desirable. Others are deciding that since they can't sell, they will upgrade for their own benefit. A smaller group, like us, have bought older houses that need updating. It seems that simple home remodeling is a good business to be in at this time.