Cabinet Shop
Custom Classic Construction, Inc.
Since 1985
cabinets4u@built-incabinets.com
this page is where we will share our thoughts, new ideas, frustrations and information with you.
A personal view of us & our business
Click on a year below for older posts
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November 13th
October 3ist
Happy Halloween!
The theme this year was:
Walt
Disney
Steamboat Willy:
I was prepared with a 4 ft Mickey Mouse
and a inflatable Ships wheel
BUT.....
With the high winds I didn't dare use them for my Gator display. I will incorporate them some time in the future.
This years treats were apple pie from our apples and homemade chocolate mice
We also cut out Mickey Mouse coasters for everyone with the CNC .
The original crew!
Magic Kingdom
Minnie Mouse
Along with being very windy even with all the layers I had on under my costume it was biting cold. I called it an early night and I got home just after dark and snapped this picture of our display.
October 17th
Well we
already made some changes this morning.
The
greenhouse plastic on the north wall blocks the reflective bubble wrap as you
can see here so......
BEFORE:
AFTER
Then using a 1' X 2" strip of Redwood we attached the double bubble wrap to the bows with screws so there is no need to secure the roll up pole. It can simply sit on top.
October 16th
With
the threat of a hard killing frost in the forecast for tonight we decided
it was time to cover the low tunnel.
Sorry
I forgot so there is no pictures of several of the steps.
#1
we decided to change the ridge pole from being fastened under the bows to
over the top. As it turned out this was not necessary because we changed our
minds and did not clip the layers to it but the option is there if we find it
necessary.
#2
6 mil greenhouse plastic just barely covers from side to side I think this
is going to be fine so that even on those days that I do not roll it up there
will be some air exchange.
#3
We sewed the three- 4 ft wide by 18 1/2 ft pieces together to make the 12 ft
wide top blanket out of the double bubble wrap.I used a wide zigzag stitch and a
needle meant for denim.
Jim
supported the sewn pieces as I unrolled and guided the material slowly
through the machine. It went rather well considering what we were sewing..
#4
Laid the blanket over the greenhouse plastic and using 1' X 2" strips we
screwed the blanket to the raised beds on the north wall.
#6 Attach the pole to use to roll up the south side of the double bubble with duct tape.
OH yeah and the seed I planted on the 11th are germinating:
Spinach
October 10th
As
some of you may remember in 2015 we worked on half of the center bed in the HT
to create a
geothermal
area to extend our growing season.
Here
is the link to the build: Center
Bed
We
wanted
to make that 5' X 18' area a Low Tunnel within the High Tunnel.
We purchased:
10
- Schedule 40 Conduit, 1/2" X 10'
1- 1" X 4' X 8' Expanded Polystyrene Foam Board Insulation
foil backed 2 sides
1 - 10' x 100-ft x 6-mil Clear Plastic Sheeting
1 -3/16" Insulated Metalized Mylar Double Foil Bubble Wrap, 24"
X 125'
Jim
fasten each length of Conduit to the raised bed boards with screws with a
layout out of 24" on center:
Then
fastened the ridge to the underside of the bows:
Next
we applied the foam board to the conduit using duct tape:
The last thing we did was
raked out the bed relay the drip lines and planted:
Spinach
Lettuce
Broccoli
Cabbage
Peas
Spicy
Mesclun
Sweet
Mesclun
July 27th
Each
Ugli Tomato I pick is bigger than the last
They
are meaty and on the sweet side
I
will pick this next time:
I
had a mix of lots of Roma, a few Rutgers and Mortgage Lifters along with some
Uglis to start another batch of sauce:
Once
simmered down I got 5 pints and one 1/2 pint.
Meantime
I roasted some Anaheim Peppers I
made Chili Rellanos with the roasted peppers using my friend
Colleen family recipe.
Out
in the HT some stuff is flourishing and others are struggling with our
unseasonably cool weather and lack of sunshine.
Beets:
Habanadas:
At the lime green turning to yellow stage They will continue to change until
they reach a bright orange color of "FULL" flavor without the heat
Sweet
Peppers: California Wonder
Sweet
Orange Yummy
Rhubarb
Chard:
Broccoli:
Potatoes
are still growing:
Little
Bumble
Bee is hunkered down and staying warm.
Outside
the HT our first year Raspberry bush produced enough for a garnish
July 7th
I just realized today is 07/.07/17
I wanted to update some pictures of the Greenhouse :
Beets are doing very well.
English Cucumbers are being picked daily
California Wonder Red Peppers
Red Cabbage:
Megaton Cabbage:
Early Thunder Cabbage:
White Eggplant:
Rutgers Tomatoes
Roma Tomatoes:
Ugli Tomatoes: This is the first time I have ever grown this variety and they are huge a few of them are starting to blush but most are still growing in size,
July 2nd
Here
is one of our little resident Wrens in the Green House. The other one was
hollering at me from the trusses.
We
heard chirping on June 26th so the babies have hatched out.
And
a visitor neither Jim nor I have ever seen before;
They
are native to New York but our first sighting.
It
is a Northern Ring-neck (Diadophis
punctatus edwardsii) :
They only grow to be 12" - 15" long.
This
was an
adult.
I
am glad I didn't mess with it. I understand although they are not venomous they
do have fangs and a toxin that can cause painful swelling. I will have to be a
bit more careful while weeding.
Although snakes are not something I run from, finding a snake coiled, hissing and shaking its tail in the bathroom was a bit much. It disappeared before I could grab my camera and snap a picture. I guess it was a surprised as I was.
Jim searched and eventually found it in the garage traveling along the electrical wires near the ceiling.
It apparently climbed into the bathroom via the hole for the pedestal sink water lines.
It was another native we have never seen on the property:
Milk Snake (Lampropetlis triangulum) a non venomous carnivorous constrictor
NOT my photo but this is what it looked like. It was maybe 12" long. They do grow to be 5 ft long.
June 19th
Hanging out with Luna
We nicknamed him "Birdboy" when we discovered if you threw a blanket over him and came back 6 hours later he was still underneath it and sound asleep.
He didn't like to share his catnip so this was a perfect way to insure his sister did not get any.
I had just removed the towels from the dryer and he jumped in.
He always liked being toasty and finding the dryer door open was a home run.
Jax
Aug 1999 - June 19, 2017
RIP
We buried him this morning with his best friend Ginger.
When Ginger passed away we had her cremated .
I kept her ashes to bury when the time came with her best friend Jax
So today we also have closure and laid our Ginger to rest also
Ginger
1985- 2002
RIP
May 29th
This is a great video narrated by President Ronald Reagan . It will humble you down to your toes.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE | A Soldier's Pledge
This is my Paternal Great Uncle Robert ( My father's namesake)
This pictures was taken just before he was shipped out.
Robert died in World War I November 11th,1919 on the last day of the war a day
that would later become to be known as "Armistice
Day " . He was buried in Meuse-Argonne France .
Poppy told us the story many times: The quick version is:
Your Great Uncle Robert (my brother) and small group of soldiers had built a fire to warm themselves and cook their dinner. Robert and 8 other men closest to the fire died when a failed
munitions that was buried by debris and completely out of sight under the spot they choose for the fire pit
suddenly exploded.
While I was still in Europe also in the Army Your Grandma continually
wrote letters and her Irish determination and persistence would not take
no for an answer was
finally allowed to made the arrangements and at our expense Robert
was exhumed and shipped home where he was laid to rest in the family plot.
RIP Uncle Robert
May 26th
Hilled the potatoes in the rain. Something people that grow outside could not do today.
We cut another 4 pounds of broccoli crowns today but only 3 of them will make it to the freezer. I other will be on the menu for tonight.
I have tried and failed several time to grow cauliflower. I get the plant to grow but they never made a nice head.
I
didn't even attempt it last year but since we eat a lot of it I figured I had to
try one more time.
Introducing
our first edible head "EVER" of CAULIFLOWER
As you can see it weighed in at just over a pound.
May 19th
Processed 4 lbs of Broccoli for the freezer keeping another pound out for dinner.
Also pulled a few beets for our salad.
May 12th
The Girls: Penny (aka Jigs) and Red do their daily free range walk about.
The north wall
Cabbage:
They look like green roses.
The first of the beets are almost ready:
And saving the best for last. We have baby tomatoes:
April 30th
Overall View of the West
end of the center bed:
My
Little helper Ruby in the background
While her Brother Jasper hangs out by the pond and one of his favorite sticks:
Anaheim Peppers:
Seeds
are courtesy of our Friend Steve G.
CUCUMBERS:
The
front 2 are Japanese Seedless
Seeds
are courtesy of CaptanHarry
The 2 in the background are Persian seedless
Seeds
are courtesy of our friend Steve G.
Malabar:
Seed
was courtesy of CaptanHarry
Straight
Eight Cucumbers:
MELONS:
Tasty
Bites
Canary
SHALLOTS:
POTATOES:
Russets
BEETS:
I
just couldn't resist posting this photo.
The
transplants have made a perfect transition to the garden.
Outside the Periwinkle is in bloom
Along with Primrose
April 23nd
Cabbage
and Cauliflower:
Broccoli:
Mesclun
Mix:
Lacinato
kale: (A big thanks to Mario and Colleen G. for bringing this Kale to our
attention)
Garlic:
Carrots:
Spinach:
Our first spinach of the season:
April 6th:
We
ordered from Stark Bro's Nursery https://www.starkbros.com/
One tree we ordered The Big Blue Plum was out of stock.
With
the pond project still underway and since we didn't want to wait another couple
of years to to this we will be container growing everything . At least for
the first few years. If they prosper in the 25 gallon buckets we may just keep
them in the buckets.
In this box we
found our new orchard.
It
includes:
APPLE
TREES:
GrandGala
Pink
Lady
Granny
Smith
PEAR
TREES:
Bartlett
Pear Standard
Starking
Delicious
CHERRY
TREES:
Starkrimson
Sweet Cherry
Starling
Hardy Giant Antique Sweet Cherry
PLUM
TREES:
Big
Blue Plum (SOLD
OUT)
Stanley
Prune-Plum
PEACH
TREES:
Redhaven
Fingerlakes
Super Hardy
RASPBERRIES:
2...
Joan J Primocane Thornless Red ( set of 3)
While
we let the trees soak up some water we started to mix the first batch of potting
soil using Vermiculite, Peat moss, Composted Alpaca manure, organic fertilizer,
sand and garden lime.
Jim drilled 5 holes in
the bottom of each pot.
We
placed circles cut from screening on the bottom followed by an inch of pea
stone.
We
will let them settle in for a couple of days before making the first radial cut
on each whip.
I
forgot to snap a picture of the Thornless Raspberry canes I will do that when it
stops raining.
March 31st
Transplanted
this morning into solo cups
Tomatoes:
6
-Romas
6
-Rutgers
6
-Mortgage Lifter
5
-Ugli (These seeds were given to me from Mario and Colleen G.)
2
-Grape
Peppers:
Special thanks to our friend Steve G. for sharing some of his pepper seeds with us.
Big Jim Chili
Habanada ( The flavor of Jalapenos with out the heat)
Hungarian Wax ( Mild when yellow when it turns red it turns up the heat)
Anaheim
March 18th
Normally
I would of moved the Broccoli seedling to the HT this week but that
was not possible because as you all remember:
When the storm was wrung
out the "weather guessers" say we got 42".
The
wind was blowing the powdery snow around it was impossible for me to get an
exact measurement. My guess would be closer to 36"
so
until our temps outside get above freezing and do not drop below 30 at night
I cannot safely move them out to the Greenhouse.
Seedling
Rack:
Tomato, Eggplant and
Peppers:
They
need to be transplanted into the solo cups but until the Cole crops are off the rack and out to the
greenhouse they will have to stay put.
Cole
Seedlings:
Beets:
Second
Blooming of the Lion Red Amaryllis:
The
Key Lime is starting to flower:
Out
in the greenhouse the garlic is not bothered by the cold:
February 24th:
The
Peppers Eggplant and Tomato seeds have started to germinated:
COLE
plants: Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are growing fast now.
I
am going to try transplanting beet starts this year: We shall see how it goes.
February 21st :
Started making bread this winter:
This Christmas Cactus has been blooming non stop since Halloween
We have
gotten good melt in the last few days reaching the 40's with lots of sunshine to
warm the greenhouse.
The
driveway is almost visible.
Meanwhile
inside under the grow lights the seedlings are going strong.
The
lettuce is growing SO FAST I have starting harvesting the outer leaves for
salad. Works for us!
February 13th:
Lettuce
:
Cole
plants:
ONIONS:
I
just reseeded the tray for the 3rd time.
I
am using up some very old seeds (dated 2008) so
my germination rate is not very good but will be good enough for this year.
I
will buy new when they go on sale.
January 26th:
UPDATE:
COLE seedlings are up
LETTUCE
seedlings:
January 15th:
Tray
#2
12...
DiCicco Broccoli
6....
Arcadia Broccoli
6....
Blend Broccoli
6....
Red Cabbage
6....
Early Thunder Cabbage
Tray
#3
12....
Snowball Cauliflower
6....Tom
Thumb head lettuce
6....Great
Lakes head lettuce
12....Igloo
head lettuce
Also on the seedling rack
is:
Thai
Chili I pulled from one of the beds in the HT last fall and stuck it in a
pot. I will replant it in the HT when it warms up enough and see if it sends out
new flowers.
2-
Red-Lion-Amaryllis that are just starting to awaken
It
is that time of year:
I
brought the Pro-mix in to thaw for a few days.
While
it warmed up I organized my early seeds:
I
scattered seeded a half tray for each:( These onions are new to me so we will
see how it goes)
Tray
#1
1/2
tray....Ruby Ring Red onions
1/2
tray....Sweet Spanish onions