Not really, but man, I’ve had a crazy few weeks. Good news first. I purchased a domain for the orchard so that I could have something simple for people type in (www.RedbudOrchard.org) to get to the blog. Maybe one day it will have its own website. I also ordered a new sign that actually tells people a little bit about our project without them having to visit the website. My old sign was not informative at all, lesson learned there.
My poor garden looks so haggard right now.
Benches
I toyed with a few bench ideas before settling on this design because the long flat top is comfy and seats a lot of people. But it’s not nice enough looking that someone would want to steal it.
Cost for 2 8ft Benches ~ $126
(6) 2”x6”x8’ Pressure Treated Boards - $42
(12) 8x8x16 Cinder blocks - $13
(2) PL 500 Landscaping Block Glue -$8
Tapcon Masonry Screws - $13
Masonry Drill Bit - $9
(4) Cans of Matte Black Spray Paint (optional) - $20
1 qt of Oil Based Exterior Polyurethane - $15
Tube of Oil Paint ~ $5
Mixing Container - $1
I spray painted the cinderblocks matte black for a more “finished” look to go along with my plans for the wood on top. A while back I purchased some exterior polyurethane to make a fun custom stain color because there just aren’t many out there. Because its oil based I went to United Art Supply to buy an oil paint color I liked. I’m going to let the treated wood dry out some before applying the poly but I’m looking forward to adding some color to the Orchard. I was so focused on getting the cinder blocks level that I didn’t make sure they were spaced evenly apart on the first bench. Oh well.
I got each stack of 2 cinderblocks level and then glued them together. To help things stay flat as the glue set, I put more cinderblocks across the top. All points of contact stayed intact except for one when I removed the counter weights. This is where the masonry screws come in because glue is not a great long term option to keep things together.
Initially I tried drilling through the wood and into the cinderblocks with my rotary drill but it was only able to drill 3 holes before it got hot and quit on me. Since I needed to drill 9 holes per bench, this method wasn’t going to work. My dad is letting me try his impact drill. Fingers crossed that works better! But I’m happy with how they’re coming together so far.
Advocacy
If you know me, you know I’m a big fan of supporting neighborhoods. I recently got my first chance to help advocate for Fairfield Terrace Belmont. So that meant I had to brush all the dirt and mud off so I could look presentable when meeting with Councilman Paddock, the Neighborhood President & Vice President, and leadership from City Utilities about ways to resolve some flooding issues the neighborhood is having. A big part of solving this issue is accurate reporting. Many city departments are stretched thin and are thus reactive vs proactive. So beyond this meeting, I’ll need to send in photos with dates and times after we get rain because there just isn’t enough city employed man power to do it. The photos will be used by City Utilities to track problematic areas so they can be effectively remediated. So if you don’t have the time or availability to attend meetings, you can always reach out to your neighborhood leaders and ask for some tasks you can help out with. I promise there’s plenty to go around!
River Haven
As many of you already know, I had a heck of an experience looking at a potential sister property for Redbud Orchard. With other prospective buyers in mind, I sent a letter to elected officials of Allen County Council & Commissioners, the City of Fort Wayne and the City of New Haven expressing my concerns. Who knows if it will make a difference, but I can say I tried.
6 Wooded Acres
This is the photo I sent to Larry before I left to go view the property. Each lot only requires $45 in closing costs.