The Day After Easter

What a storm passed through last night: Thunder, lightning, and torrential rain. There were power transformers “exploding” all around the neighborhood. I only lost power once for a short while. I was just about to unplug the computer when the power returned. I’m always so afraid of a power surge frying my system when that happens, even though it is on a protected power strip.

I was surveying the damage of tipped over lawn chairs in the back yard and taking some pictures when a set of “Cardinal Parents” started acting up by me. Sure enough, a baby cardinal was out of the nest. I was able to get close enough to take this picture before they all flew to the other side of the yard. There is a lot of turned over dirt in my back yard now. All the rain makes getting grubs and worms so much easier for these hungry birds. Stumpy is asleep on the upstairs bed after begging extra treats, Daggy is watching me from her spot on the bed. The “bird family” is safe from those cats for this morning…..

Easter Sunday was a laid back day spent cutting and fitting up bricks for the next fire hydrant installation. This fire hydrant originated from Defiance, Ohio as did the Metropolitan paving bricks used in the base. The inside yellow bricks are refractory bricks I picked up at the last brick swap. I took the easy way out using these: it would have been a real chore to cut out the hollows into the rock hard paving bricks.

As far as fire hydrants go this is not a particularly rare or valuable example. It is a D.H. Wood Hydrant made in Philadelphia, PA circa. 1956. It will just sit into the hole. Once things dry out, I’ll set it in place, level it out. Then topping mixture will be applied to fill all the voids between the bricks and the hydrant. I don’t plan on repainting this hydrant. I’m just going let it age on it’s own for the next few years!

I’m so glad today I did not rake and do the yard work I had planned on Sunday. This place is a mess. Sticks and branches are everyplace. Another storm is due through this afternoon. I’ll wait till tomorrow to rake and clean up the front yard.

Time to get to the Y and then the steel fabricator place on Greensboro Ave to see if I can beg a small piece of 1” square steel stock to scab up a valve end for the Holly hydrant….

The Holly fire hydrant on the new base. The outside pavers are "hill brick" : the bevel is clearly visible. When these bricks were laid, that bevel against flat edge of the adjoining brick gave a "bite" which provided better traction for the horses.