My mind's in the gutter

[mondhasen]

My house gutter(s)!

In August I decided to clean the front gutter after watching a waterfall run over one of the windows during a storm. I knew there were some leaves in there, but I never expected the slimey muck that I found beneath the rotted vegetation. Thank the industry for nitrile gloves! At one story, I could reach the whole length of the front on my extension ladder and with a hose and gloved hands I eventually got this done.

I've been looking for a way to clean the back gutters of the house, since. The back, as an expanded Cape with a walkout basement, is a scary three stories high. Damned if I pay to have these cleaned, I might have found a solution. I saw a blower extension kit for a shop vac but it was for a larger diameter hose set. So, I've improvised!

My last two washing machines came with useless four foot drain hoses (I need six to eight feet where the washer is). Being, er, thrifty (cheap) I never tossed the hoses but left them in the cellar these past many years. I had an epiphanal moment (second this week) and sure enough I discovered the washer hoses easily adapted to the vacuum hoses and that I could rig together a hooked extension like the one the kits sell.

Whee! I tested this out front and it can work. Tomorrow I'll be leaning out the upper windows of the back of the house trying to at least get some of the junk cleaned from the gutters.

Oh, the mundanity once again!

- I put a new ignitor in the gas stove: a simple four screw, one wing nut operation. I cleaned the soot out while I was in there as well. Dare I say I felt like Sylvia Plath down in there? Anyway, it was taking forever to light up. So far so good: faster start up for the fish dinner last night, and brownies this morning. Maybe I'll do a cinnamon coffee cake tomorrow :o)

- Saw the cutest fox kitsch at CVS today among Halloween clearance:


- I also saw this manly accessory kit while shopping at Wally World (Walmart):


*snicker* I do enjoy this scent- and it drives my bear plush wild ;o)

Ah, and I'm on vacation this week, which is why I can do these things during daylight! I've still got three weeks to use before New Years...

Comments

[schnee.livejournal.com]

I've heard of foxglove (cute fox, BTW), but "bearglove"? :)

Sounds like cleaning out those gutters was about necessary, too — good on you for getting it done, and finding a solution for the ones in the rear as well.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I probably waited too long, but at least now I'm trying ;o)

[schnee.livejournal.com]

That's what counts! 'sides, it's more fun when there's actually enough crud there to justify going to the effort, isn't it?

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

hehe, there certainly was crud there! Actually there still is (I only did a partial clean due to incoming rains). It works, somewhat, but it works :o)

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

Bear cologne?? LOL! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZGvDysc_G4 ..

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Pat the Bummy

[lepaggoth.livejournal.com]

Foxes are for some reason considered autumnal decor - maybe because their color matches leaves? (Or maybe in some areas foxes are active in autumn - I tend to run into them in summer mostly) I saw recently some uber-cute planner stickers with foxes, acorns, falling leaves and mushrooms and I'm still battling with myself should I buy them or not (=would I actually use or just admire them), when the same maker in Etsy has already put out just as cute series of penguins for christmas. Eek!

The Bearglove box looks actually cute, but the creature inside the box rather scary, more like a mink or something. Is that the actual "bear glove"?

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I don't think of Autumn and foxes, so I was surprised when I saw this on the 'clearance' table. I believe you're right about their colors being seen as Fall themed.

The box was pretty amazing, actually, but I've learned that applying that much of any scent is really annoying to those around you: body wash, antiperspirant,and even body spray (I guess anything called Bearglove couldn't be a 'cologne'). That thing in the box is a little plastic bear helmet that looks like it fits over the top of the antiperspirant container. I tried to find a better picture online but couldn't. My picture looks pretty gruesome!