A few projects

So, as I may have mentioned a time or two, work can be a little stressful.  At some times more than others, and depending on interactions with certain other people...  I realized a few weeks ago that what was really needed was a punching bag, conveniently located, to hit on demand, as stress relief.  Unfortunately, the gyms in the area only have the hanging, swingy kind of bag, which are sub-optimal for stress relief style punching and kicking, and often close before I get out of the hospital.  Thus, I decided to get my own punching bag, the kind on a heavy base that we used in karate.  Unfortunately, I have no place in my house to put one.  I did, however, have this empty area in my backyard, behind a fence, that previous people had apparently decided to never do anything with.  

The empty spot

I decided this was an ideal place to put a shed, for the purpose of putting the punching bag in.  The more this idea rolled around in my head, the more it seemed like a really good, sanity saving idea.  

So I measured the space, went on amazon, and ordered an 11x11 shed, some solar powered lights, and a big punching bag.  It took a long time for the shed to be delivered, in four large (very large) boxes that Janae and I could not actually lift between ourselves.  And I had to prepare a base for the shed to sit on; the instructions said either wood or concrete, but I was NOT feeling the urge to attempt pouring concrete, especially as the Lowes here does not seem to have a rental section for tools, and wood seemed sub-optimal as it would eventually rot and become a big problem, as the shed itself is plastic, has a 10 year warranty, and is intended to last even longer.  So I went with concrete block, generally used for landscaping, since I'm familiar with it as a building material.  

The graded surface, and the beginning of the blocks.  

The completed concrete block pad

I wasn't able to make it completely perfect, but close enough.  Then came putting the shed together.  It was pretty complicated, involved, and unfortunately they sent me two left doors and no right door.  This was a little complicating, as the whole shed is an interlocking puzzle, and the doors go on relatively early in the process.  I was able to figure out how to be able to go back and add it later, then continued on with the construction.  

Later on I ran into other difficulties, like my cordless drill died suddenly and completely (can't really complain; it was a 10 year old drill from harbor freight, it had a good run), and the screws that came with the mounting hardware for the light I put on the outside of the shed (so I wouldn't have to approach a dark and creepy part of the yard unlighted to go punch my bag) were not long enough to reach through the double layers of the walls.  Unfortunately, neither were the replacement screws I got at Lowes, which were the longest they had.  So I had to buy some on Amazon, and had to buy a bag of 50.  So now I've got 48 extra screws, but at least the light is firmly affixed.  The screws that came with the light for mounting the solar panel were also extremely inadequate and stripped out easily and had to be removed with a pair of vise-grips.  

Late in the project, I decided to get some magnetic screen doors, one to keep the bugs out while the right door was still not available, and another to cut up and put over the windows, also to keep the bugs out while allowing circulation of air.  Cause it gets hot here.  So far that part of the project is on hold, because the sticky strips that come with the screens do NOT hold up to the heat, i.e., it falls right down.  I've got some 3M command strips coming in the mail that will likely do a better job.  There are also some spots above the windows where I can put in screws (I've got tons of extra screws) that will help hold up the screens over the windows, even it the door part never works out.  And the replacement right door (after two phone calls to the company) finally came in the mail on saturday, so I was able to get it put on and the shed successfully completed.  Yay!  I also got foam mats for the floor, the interlocking puzzle kind, which, oddly enough, fit perfectly in the available space.  I do have some non-slip tape coming in the mail which ought to keep the bag from slipping when I kick it really hard.  Because right now it slips right across the floor.  

So an unexpectedly complex project, which, with a few minor exceptions, is finally completed.  It has already been serving its purpose admirably.  

The completed shed, with the outer lamp which looks nice and does the job, but was a bit of a pain to install.

The solar panels for the internal lights.

The interior, with the bag, and plenty of room to hit it.  

In other news, I've officially lost 103 lbs.  You'll all get a chance to see what that looks like coming right up (except Jenifer...).  I've still got around 25 lb or so to go, hard to tell exactly, but am still well within the post-op weight loss phase, so I ought to be able to reach a good goal weight.  

Also, I adopted a third cat.  I haven't been liking the dynamic between Sephy and Patty-cake, because Patty-cake is so aggressive and it gets Sephy down; even though she can kick Patty-cake's furry little tush, she isn't willing to fight as often as Patty-cake is willing to attack.  I was at Petsmart to get kitty food, and they have adoption cages there from the humane society, and I saw a kitty that seemed like she'd be a good addition to the household, so decided fairly precipitously to adopt her.  When it comes right down to it, all of my kitty adoptions have been fairly precipitous.  

So the is Mimi Rose.  One of the nurses at the hospital suggested the name, and it seemed to fit her well, so that's what I named her.  She's a snuggle bug, very similar to Sephy in personality, and we have been having a lot of drama getting the other kitties, Patty-cake especially, to accept her.  Due to unrelenting attacks, Mimi Rose has been spending most of her time chilling under my coat rack, which is apparently an easily defensible position.  I haul her out to snuggle with her every night and give her safe passage to the litter box, and gradually she is getting braver.  I also got some of the some kitty calming pheromone diffusers, but its hard to tell if they're making a difference.  So, some ongoing drama.  I'm hopeful that eventually this will settle into a better dynamic for all.  

Planting day, with new containers

I am also having good success this year so far with my tomatoes.  Last year, it turns out that the pots I used were very suboptimal.  They did not hold up to UV damage, but also had terrible drainage.  This year things are already going well, with plenty of growth and plenty of green tomatoes, growing and looking beautiful.  I may actually end up with too many tomatoes, given my reduced stomach size, and will have to find a practical way of preserving them.  

 Like how I've had to almost completely replace my wardrobe, its not a bad problem to have.

The same pot, now.  

Some beautiful baby tomatoes; yes, you can be jealous.