Makes me shiver just imagining having to wait so long for spring. You're much hardier than I am. The tulips are long over here and the roses are out.

It sounded pathetic when I wrote it, and I thought, "Ann, are you sure you don't have tulips yet?! That doesn't even seem possible. You better go up and check that before you make Maine sound worse than it is." Today:

What a majestic lady ! That outfit she's wearing is stunning, and the way she colors her eyes and cheeks looks very elegant. I hurt for you but thankful the end was brief, sparing both y'all as much suffering as possible.

As for risk of lazy Texans stealing your treasures, unspoken code of ethics forbid that happening. Anyone who steals from the weak or defenseless in Texas will be shunned thereafter. Caveat? Yes, but that doesn't mean it's open season on the wealthy and healthy. To name a couple exceptions having to do with rites of passage for boys on their journey to manhood. It is perfectly acceptable if kids set up roadside stands to sell porcupine eggs (cockleburs) to snowbirds from Great Lakes region, providing money goes for good purpose. Since farmers began growing melons , boys have been stealing them. The redder farmer's face turns and the bigger fuss thrown, the sweeter melons taste.

What's this boat repair about? By keen edge, do you mean straight and/or precision? The latest trend for cutting metal on limited budget is 4.5" angle grinder equipped with cutting wheel. Risk of injury is a bit higher than typical power tools but versatility and effeciency is ust short of amazing. Eye protection is mandatory,gloves and apron recommended while attentiveness yields consistent results. I own a torch, bandsaw and chop saw but usually reach for the little grinder when cutting sheet metal and up to 1/4" angle. Most diy homeowners have a saber saw which metal blades are available. It's slow but capable of precision and safest power tool in the shop.

I need a straight edge without fine ripples in it. I didn't know what it was called at the time, but I looked at an angle grinder a few days ago at Lowes. It looked like something that, in my hands, could end up hurting something. It was too pricey for a single 18" cut---like $189. Glad to hear you mention "risk of injury".

I have some disaster stories under my belt where I confidently use something, then almost get killed. I bought a chainsaw once and went home and cut a large tree. I say 'cut' instead of 'cut down' because the tall, unnotched, cedar stood in place after the cut was completed---leaving me too nervous to turn my back on it to go get help. I had to stand there, helpless, until my cousin came home from a boat ride, heard me yelling, and helped me kick it off the stump.

My scariest cutting stuff moment was when I tried to cut a sheet of plywood clamped onto two brand new metal sawhorses. It happened so fast I'm still not sure what happened, but after about 8" into the cut, I think I hit a knot and suddenly, I was airborne, getting flung all about, still holding the circular saw my brother gave me for Christmas. The saw stopped turning when it hit one of the metal sawhorses, which it almost cut in half.

Both machines have been in my basement gathering dust for decades now.

I ended up buying a heavy duty sheetrock knife and am going to try to get an unrippled cut by using a level for a guide, going slow, and applying a lot of pressure. My plan is to cut it five or six times, being careful not to go off mark. Thanks for the googles reminder, too. The only machine I use with confidence is the chop saw my brother gave me once. By using it incorrectly, I can do a lot of projects with it. I've gotten so careless using it, though, that I've started closing my eyes to protect them, instead of wearing goggles, when making a quick cut for something. I'll do better.

My father was an Air Force pilot from Oklahoma. In the 50s, he had to bring an empty transport plane back from Texas to Bangor, Maine. He brought the plane back filled with some Texas farmer's watermelons---a huge treat for those of us living in Maine, where they cannot be grown. He gave them to anyone who helped unload the plane, and the rest went to all my mother's relatives. I presume he paid for the watermelons, but I didn't ask.

I'm embarrassed to admit I should have recommended "scoring" as a safe,effecient and inexpensive way of cutting sheet metal. Scoring tools can be found in pro aprons while installing metal building panels. Speaking of practical, your dad could have coined the phrase "when life deals you a lemon, make lemon-aid".

Strolling around my lair this week I saw green tomatoes.

So, would I fare better with a "Tungsten Carbide Scriber"? You got me googling "scoring metal". I initially considered trying to score the metal with a nail punch, but this scribe looks like a better choice, and better than the sheetrock knife.

I could be wrong but afik there is no tool especially made for scoring for reason being discussed. The construction guys I've seen making impromptu cuts and bends were using a heavy duty utility knife/box cutter. When I tried I realized those guys can put far more pressure on the blade than I'm capable of. I have to make so many passes I would save time by climbing down to fetch shears or grinder. Honestly I've had little need since I'm not on a roof or ladder but in the shop where power tools are within arms reach.

What I have done in shop was use a similar procedure to allow bending metal precisely where I want. My tool of choice is nail clamped in vice-grip pliers with point ground to create a hook. Dragging this hook along straightedge "plows" away a bit of material, creating a groove. Repeat then bend back and forth, presto metal snaps apart. Requires far less effort than utility knife. Best way I can describe hook on nail is say it's same principle as hook on cabinet scrapers and card scrapers.

The carbide scribe you are looking at is likly a precision marking tool used by machinists. I doubt it will work for this.

Careful you don't poke your eye out kid.

Dear Diary,

Card scrapers!! Who knew!!?I spent a lot of time reading about them and the "hook" and reallly feel I needed to know about that long before now. I could not figure out at all how they work, but I saw one slid along a piece of wood and it was a beautiful thing to see. My trip down the card scraper rabbit hole scared me regarding my abilities, and I ended up going with an elementary approach that seemed safe. I've gone astray with sheet rock knives before, so I was worried about that. I ended up sacrificing a pair of Singer scissors from the 50s. I dragged their sharp edge along my guide at least 20 times, then I flipped the sheet and scored the other side 20 times. Then I took my sheet rock knife and tried to finish the cuts with that. The sheet rock knife went off course a few times (not in a problematic way) and I decided to try the bend and snap, which I didn't want to do, because I thought the edge would be less sharp than I wanted. It worked beautifully!

My newest problem is this:

The metal jammed. It jammed once and I was able to get it going again, but now I'm stuck again. I actually had to rest two days following this, because I bruised my teres major and teres minor so bad on that upper rail that they've been too tender to abuse them the way I"m going to need to for those last 2 1/2 feet. The tree hovering over the boat---a silver birch---is going to drop browntail moth hairs all over the boat any day now---an odd insect creeping up the coast of Maine (and only Maine), to which I am severely allergic. Two years ago, I had to go to the doctor after working on the boat and my doctor asked if she could photograph my rash. Hence the need to get this job done today and not a minute later!!

Regarding my job thus far---it was flawed, but not in the way I anticipated. I know the pictures make the sheet look wavy, but it isn't. It's perfect. So far. The issue that surprised me were the decals I applied. I thought it was going so beautifully that I got carried away with them and applied three more than I planned. When I removed the backing, I was very surprised to find them completely blistered. I'm so disappointed. I had to do this job once before and the decals didn't blister. I was far more confident this time. I'm going to see if a hair dryer and a plastic scraper (OH! Maybe a card scraper!!) will smooth them out. If not, I will try not to notice them for the rest of my life.

Thank you, Klem! I felt your presence the whole time I was cutting the sheet, so that was fun. I am warming up to tackle the rest of the job this morning. I'm going to bring rubber gloves this time, padding for the teres, and something for my knees. I'm going to try to rock the sheet as I push it. (That won't work now, although it did 2 feet back.) The problem is the channel is very tight. I've cleaned it out, blown it out and dragged a sheet rock knife down the channels to see if there was any kind of glue or foam in it. What I need of course is help, but I can absolutely guarantee you if I get help, they'll mess it up. I already had one neighbor try to shove it from the back end. I said, "I know you're very capable, Phil, but if you bend that sheet, I'm going to tell everyone on the road that you messed up my job." He let go and came up to the front and did help me move it a foot or so, but we both got winded. I've always thought this neighbor (who's very capable) was my age, but I think he's quite a bit older than I thought, and I began to worry that he might injure his triceps brachi muscle and/or his flexor carpi ulnaris muscle---a possibly permanent injury.

I wish I had those suction cups windshield guys have. I presume soap or wd 40 will not make it slide any easier. My last resort is to open up the channels more with a putty knife, which I'd rather not do, although my rubber mallet seems to be able to lay them flat again without too much wavering. The problem is the place where the metal is getting stuck is not on that bend there. It's four feet behind the bend---one area that it wants to get hung up and that I have already opened up as much as I want.

Oh. The Soil, Compost and Mulch forum.

I made a seaweed run two days ago and I heavily mulched my peas with seaweed and rough leaf mould. I mulched my onions loosely with chipped leaves. I might run a line of seaweed done the middle of the rows to add some moisture.

Flora, Maine seaweed looks exactly like the seaweed on the northwest coast of Ireland if you ever take a lorry (?) (truck) that way. The seaweed on England's southwest coast does not resemble ours, but it looked lovely.

My tulips this week---finally--- (with my boat project in the background):

There are lots of species of seaweed around the British isles and those found around Ireland are pretty much the same as anywhere else. There isn't a specific south west type. Yours looks like a bladderwrack kind of thing. Plenty of that on the South West Coast. Don't think I'll be collecting it from Ireland and bringing it back here. It would be a ten hour trip including a sea crossing. And I don't own a vehicle.

We have several different species of seaweed and kelp, too. I thought I remembered the seaweed on the west coast of England being lighter in color. Yes, without a truck, it would be a miserable trek.

No. Seaweed on the west coast is as variable as anywhere else around the country. Over 600 species. It's not just not having a truck. It's travelling by ferry to a different country to collect it! My nearest beach is 30 miles away. I don't think I'll be hauling seaweed back on the train. 😉

No, that doesn't sound practical. My seaweed gathering is not my greenest outing. It's about 25 miles away---about 2 gallons round trip in the truck. I justify it by telling myself how great I am otherwise, like I don't purchase other trucked-in fertilizers or amendments for my in ground plantings (with the exception of bloodmeal in the spring and bonemeal in the fall).

The other problem is that I know that the detached seaweed I now gather, although allowed by law, is a critical part of renewing the coastal ecosystem. I justify my taking that because the town cleans it off this particular beach. I used to gather live seaweed, which is sustainable, but I ended up using twice as much gas driving crabs and starfish back to the ocean. I gathered so much seaweed in my 40s, I had to get licensed as a seaweed harvester. In addition to being a great fertilizer, I primarily like it because the bladders fill up with rainwater and release it in dryer weather. It's an especially moist mulch, as you know.

Klem, I survived my project. I ended up opening the channels more and I ran bearing grease down parts of the channel. After about 25 hours of labor, I got the sheet metal installed. The job, with the exception of the blistery decals and the blistered palm, is good.

I got the boat in the water and "summer" is off and running. Now to garden in the thick of the blackflies, mosquitoes and ticks which I am averaging two a day.

We don't have Blackflies but Sawyer clothing and gear insect repellant does a good job keeping ticks, mosquitoes and chiggers off me. Active ingredient is 0.50% Permethrin. You can mix your own from home and garden sprays containing Permethrin. Having treated garments in mud room allows visits outdoors without spraying skin with deet. .Treating upholstered patio furniture or simply throwing treated covers over chairs helps occupants be comfortable without spraying themselves with repellants.

For benefit of those who have chiggers, heads up! Using little to no pesticides will eventually see uptick in amphibians such as lizards,snakes, frogs and geckos. Amphibians host chiggers from hatching until they climb up on grass and shrubs to wait for mammals. I offer treated leggings to guests while strolling my property.

I honestly don't know how you have the stamina and perseverance to keep gardening in those conditions. We don't have black flies, very few mosquitoes and only occasional ticks. I've seen two ticks in my life and only one on me. It didn't get a chance to feed.

I don't love it, but here's where my people landed for some godforsaken reason. There are only three good things about Maine: July, August and our lack of civilization. It's the worst tick year I remember, although only one attached itself so far, and I found it immediately.

My brother was on a week-long fishing trip in northern Maine once, and his face was so peppered with black fly bites that a game warden he encountered leaving the woods asked him if he'd been quail hunting with Dick Cheney. The best place to live in the U.S. is where gardengal lives---ocean, mountains, mild temperatures, no bugs, but slugs the size of bedroom slippers. Their seaweed isn't as pretty as Atlantic seaweed and they have fairly astonishing clams the size of bedroom slippers that have a unique feature.

We don't have chiggers, lizards or geckos and very few snakes, and I'm too lazy to put on insect repellent. I'll check out the Sawyers maybe, because I'm not happy about the three ticks I found walking up my pants today.

I have some Sawyers comiing, but it's 20% Picaridin, not the Permethrin.

Yes, I think I'd feel most at home where GG is. I'm always impressed that people manage to garden at all in places with long freezing winters and/or stifling hot summers. But we do have these!

Let us know how Sawer works for black flies.

No question about nice weather and long growing season along West coast. What I find hard to handle is paracites. In addition to those we've discussed, they have an equal number of two legged varity kept around as pets.

Our spring black fly season is fairly brief---about a month of it. Mosquitoes are here at least two months. My neighbors don't have ticks, presumably because they mow, and I don't.

I've never researched but I'm told USA has many species of ticks with about a dozen responsible for spread of disease. Based on noticeable characteristics I'd estimate TX,AR and LA is home to about four. Non seem to be prevalent in lawn grass but on vines and bushes instead.