roberta mccanse

My son-in-law’s gate to his unfenced property.

At 82 I decided that I needed an electric hauling vehicle. I garden on the roof of my earth sheltered home and lots of things, like compost, wood chips, etc need to be moved up hill. So I ordered a “recommended “ electric wheelbarrow. Alas when it arrived, and had been assembled by helpful neighbors, it was very heavy for me to use. I am 5’2” and lifting the handles, which were too high for me, and the motor which was mounted toward the rear, was simply too much for me. Fortunately my 25 year old, over six foot, grandson arrived to house sit and he loved it. He easily hauled wood chips for garden paths, compost and garden amendments up to the gardens.

So beware of electric wheel barrows unless you are young, tall, and strong.

Love the painting. Love the dogs.

John W. What a beautiful dog. He looks bigger than Val. I met a woman at Zumba (Val often comes along as we dance at the riverside) who has a larger male from the same breeder, black and brown. He must also look very much like your boy. Note: I adopted Val when her people lost their properly. No problems with car travel, strangers, deer, cats… except for elevators. She hates elevators. She spent three hours interacting with people at my son’s favorite bar. So she must have been well socialized by the breeder.

This is my Valkyrie, previously posted with my little dog, Gizmo. Here she is engaged in canine therapy with my granddaughter who was missing her absent dogs. To see how Val dealt with an angry charging dog visit the Strange Things Dogs Do thread.

This is Valkyrie.

Valkyrie is a Caucasian Shepherd. It’s a good thing that she is a sweetheart because at 140 pounds she could head off anywhere she wanted to go, without me. I discovered her wolf and bear killing fangs one day when she snarled at my son’s dog, an older unneutered male who was extremely fear aggressive towards her. Although we tried religiously to keep them apart one day I mistakenly opened a door only to discover him on the other side! He charged, she backed away slightly, and then pinned him against a table until my son could retrieve him. No teeth marks, no blood. Good girl.

My earth sheltered home has seven SolaTubes. They were installed during construction and I put them in enclosed spaces, closets, laundry room, an interior bathroom and guest space. (Shamefully I forgot about the garage where they would have been of good use.) Keeping them well beamed on top helps prevent leaks. We have one cracked dome that will be replaced and isn’t a problem for the moment. They penetrate ten inches of concrete and three feet of dirt so are truly permanent. Even on cloudy days we have plenty of light, and yes, it took a while to quit turning off lights that weren’t on.

Not nearly as dramatic as some suggestions here, I use mirror behind the shelving in my glassware cabinets, essentially those facing my south windows. I live in an earth sheltered home, windows on the south only, and I put mirrors everywhere.