Thursday, November 18, 2010

Another bloke on the block and the bulbs are in.

Hurray! Hoorah!

The first of the wood plates on top of the block are going in as I write this. Jim Kurz, long time family friend is help the Master Toad with the work.




By the time a photo of the work could be taken, the blokes were unloading boards from the garage.  Much of the material that was taken from the building is being recycled.






The photo to the right shows Jim laying out the decking. This is the beginning of the rebuilding of the porch. These are the same floorboards that Tony removed a few months ago.

Madam Toad has also planted tulips, crocus, hyacinth, and iris. The carnations found in the grass on the hillside have been replanted to bloom in the spring. If the weather is above freezing Madam Toad will put in some red sedum from Ruth Meszaros.

But don't tell anyone. The coffee shop crowd thinks she is planting rocks. The wonder what kind of fertilizer is used to grow rocks.  She says, "Ask the toads."

Monday, November 1, 2010

Back to the Boulders

Almost before I posted the previous blog, Digger Jim and Boulder Roller Tony were back at it. Jim dug into the hillside where Madame Toad will be planting flowers.  He then moved the boulders that are too big to lift into the leveled hillside.  Seeing is believing---

The Boulders and the Bricks

Slow and steady she blows here at TOAD HOUSE. The south footings are finished, both for the office which will be new construction and the renewal of the rubble foundation under the existing building.  Removing the rubble foundation produced some mighty big boulders so Digger Jim removed them to a pile where, in true Ziesler fashion they will be reused to create a retaining wall.  Watch Digger Jim 

We also were quite fortunate to find 'almost matching' red brick at County Concrete in Rice Lake. It will be used under the windows, all around the Toad House. It was delivered and stored next to the 'almost matching' brick garage. The Almost Matching Brick