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With the prevalence of large trees in the great Pacific Northwest, and the propensity for the wind to kick it up a notch in the winter, it’s common to have a substantial pile of branches to dispose of during spring yard cleanup.

If you live on a smaller suburban lot as we do, it can be difficult disposing of the larger branches. They don’t decompose fast enough for a compost pile and they don’t fit easily in the yard waste bin.

Bow saw, hand clippers, and solid gardening gloves are an absolute must for your yard. Throw in a rake and you’re just about set for the majority of tasks you’ll come across in a Washington state yard. Spend a few extra dollars on quality equipment, especially the clippers, and the task will turn from a chore to an excuse to get out and enjoy the mild spring weather.

Clippers should be made with solid materials and have a lot of heft. The design should be as simple as possible. When choosing your clippers, just remember that you will not be treating them gently and you can’t go wrong.

The gloves should have a fairly thick palm and finger surface to protect from thorns, sharp branches, and the unfortunately prevalent and peevishly persistent blackberry bushes so common to this area.

Let’s face it, the bow saw, though indispensible when needed, is used mainly for spring cleanup and trimming the trunk of the Christmas tree before wrestling it into the stand. It still pays to pay a little extra for a quality blade. Cheap models can be found for less than $10. Step up to the plate with an extra $10 and you’ll never need to buy another.
During my lunch break this afternoon I decided to tackle a rather large branch that had been called to my attention.

After spending a few moments racing down the driveway with Sandy and Scotty that is.

Using the tools above, in just a few short minutes, this…

Became this…

And it was off to the races!

Lawn and Garden

They can be a chore, and a waste of a perfectly good lazy Saturday afternoon, but the hidden handyman in all of us loves to take on household projects. Well, some projects more than others. While I look forward to the excuse to play around with the plumbing, I’d be lying if I said that I enjoy the task ahead of me this weekend.

First on the list of chores is to clean the U trap under the sinks.

The U trap is one of those necessary evils in plumbing. It allows for a stop to avoid the backflow of sewage gasses. Something I would imagine to be less than pleasant.

An added benefit of the U trap is that it provides a place for heavier objects (such as wedding rings) to fall so they may be easily recovered.

It’s really quite an ingenious little design when you think about it.

But it does have its downsides, one of which is that it also provides a place for hair, soap, and toothpaste to gather. As they collect, they reduce the amount of space for the water to flow and after awhile, stop up completely.

Once your pipes are clogged you have two choices; you can either use a chemical drain cleaner or you can do what I’ll be doing; removing the trap and cleaning it out manually.

It’s a little bit of work but it is far more effective, keeps extra chemicals out of the sewer system, and best of all, it saves a few bucks.

If you’ve never cleaned a U trap before, Murray Anderson at E-how can tell you how.