THE Road Widening - A Continuing Saga

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Perhaps you can negotiate with the city to put in the steel barrier 6' deep ( I don't know the code there) against the retaining wall so any trees roots cannot penetrate the wall in the future.
I know this sounds selfish, but at 84 years of age I'm not going to be around to see if roots cause a problem with the wall, so I'm planting what suits me. As of the moment, that would be regular willows. . . edible and fast growing.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
I'm happy for you.😊 good good πŸ‘
Oh by the way 😜 did you have McDonald's too?. I hope 🀞😊 sounds like it πŸ˜ŠπŸ˜‰πŸ˜πŸ€—
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Oh by the way 😜 did you have McDonald's too?. I hope 🀞😊 sounds like it πŸ˜ŠπŸ˜‰πŸ˜πŸ€—
I don't eat out anymore. Since covid the thought of some highschool kid with dirty hands, and sneezing and coughing, preparing my food just turns me off.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
I don't eat out anymore. Since covid the thought of some highschool kid with dirty hands, and sneezing and coughing, preparing my food just turns me off.
I love what they did for you. And I'm glad they're done. So all of you can get back to enjoying everyday life. But really I just would love to grab a bag of snacks. It could be corny and germy though 😭 what choice do I have. I'll have to cook everything myself 😞😁
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I love what they did for you. And I'm glad they're done. So all of you can get back to enjoying everyday life. But really I just would love to grab a bag of snacks. It could be corny and germy though 😭 what choice do I have. I'll have to cook everything myself 😞😁
My husband died in '83, and all the fledglings got married and fledged, so I've been cooking for one for quite a long time. It took me a long time to relearn how to cook. Thank goodness for frozen dinners!
 

Lokkje

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 19, 2019
Messages
1,142
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix
Frozen dinner or hospital food is my go to. Your property is beautiful. I’m actually quite jealous.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
My husband died in '83, and all the fledglings got married and fledged, so I've been cooking for one for quite a long time. It took me a long time to relearn how to cook. Thank goodness for frozen dinners!
Cooking for only 2 is just about as difficult as 1. I was used to cooking for 8 or so. Any way, to make a recipe I always have leftovers. I can't eat leftovers for long and so I either have to put up with visitors or throw them out. The first thing my kids and grandkids say is got any leftovers. Since I hate throwing away food, I'm glad I don't have to eat it.😁😜
 

ZippyButter

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
359
Location (City and/or State)
Texas/Cal.
I know this sounds selfish, but at 84 years of age I'm not going to be around to see if roots cause a problem with the wall, so I'm planting what suits me. As of the moment, that would be regular willows. . . edible and fast growing.
You're absolutely right. Life is too short.
 

ZippyButter

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
359
Location (City and/or State)
Texas/Cal.
Well, the fence is finished and I must say, I'M LOVIN' IT!!!!!! I still have a bit of work to do before I can put the tortoises back out there, move some dirt to fill in the gaps under portions of the fence, move some potted plants, take down the rest of the pond fence, but basically, it's done - and did I say I'M LOVIN' IT!!!!!!

The Russian yard:
View attachment 350563

The desert torotise yard:

View attachment 350564

The Texas tortoise yard:

View attachment 350565

Tomorrow I'll go out in the street and get a picture of the front of my property with my new retaining wall and fence. And this week-end I've asked my S-I-L to come over and get an overall view of the yards from the roof (I'm no longer safe climbing ladders and roofs).

So, until the pond is finished, that's about it for this thread.
Yvonne is LOVING IT, so she won't LIST IT.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Here are the pictures my S-I-L took from the roof this a.m. He said he also took panorama from his phone that he's going to email to me.

The Russian yard:

Road widening 10-8-22 a.jpg

The fence separating the desert tortoise yard from the russian yard is behind the tree:

Road widening 10-8-22 b.jpg

The desert tortoise yard:

road widening 10-8-22 d.jpg

Then on this side of the driveway the Texas tortoise yard:

road widening 10-8-22 c.jpg

I still have a bit of work to do making sure there's no daylight showing under the fences, and putting in trees and plants. I'm also going to shop around for a sprinkler installation company. Now I'm waiting for the pond people.

(My S-I-L tells me the black top machinery is parked down at the corner, so it looks like maybe my side of the street will be black topped starting Monday.)
 
Last edited:

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I've been sitting here working on a crossword puzzle and trying to also pay attention to traffic noise. Bearing in mind that my noise absorbing trees are gone it has been quite noisy today. . . and that is with a sign showing "road closed to through traffic" at the corner, and so far only one open lane each direction. I have 10 trees started, that I'll plant after the sprinklers are installed. I got 10 willow stubs for $13 and all of them are growing.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I don't do well with them. Too hot and not enough water.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
I finally got a true Rose of Sharon growing not a hybrid. It wasn't for my Russian though. It was for a couple of little hummingbirds πŸ€— Sapphire won't eat them.😊
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Dang it! I neglected to get a 'before' picture of the pond. Suffice it to say it was a big empty, weedy mess of a hole in the ground. And I don't know what I was expecting when the City Engineer put "pond liner'" in the contract, but I'm sorely disappointed:

road widening 11-2-22 a.jpg

I guess I expected they would smooth out the dirt then add a layer of sand, that they would smooth out the liner. I got the filter free, so I can't complain about that, but it's SO small for the size of the pond. There's rocks and sticks all over the floor under the liner, which makes me wonder how long the liner's going to last???

I've got an irrigation guy here today installing a sprinkler system in all the front yard tortoise yards, and he's a landscape person, so I've asked him what he'd charge to put down weed barrier and rocks and get rid of the edges of the liner. If it's not too expensive, I'll hire him to do that. Otherwise I've got my work cut out for me!!!

I still have to replace the rotten fence on the north side that separates the YF yard from the pond, and build a fence across the west side of the pond to the property line to keep the turtles contained. I used to have the gulf coast box turtle yard fenced off on the south side of the pond, but since a portion of that land got cut off I don't think there's enough room there anymore. For now they're in with the three toes and not causing any trouble.
road widening 11-2-22 b.jpgroad widening 11-2-22 c.jpg
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Dang it! I neglected to get a 'before' picture of the pond. Suffice it to say it was a big empty, weedy mess of a hole in the ground. And I don't know what I was expecting when the City Engineer put "pond liner'" in the contract, but I'm sorely disappointed:

View attachment 351459

I guess I expected they would smooth out the dirt then add a layer of sand, that they would smooth out the liner. I got the filter free, so I can't complain about that, but it's SO small for the size of the pond. There's rocks and sticks all over the floor under the liner, which makes me wonder how long the liner's going to last???

I've got an irrigation guy here today installing a sprinkler system in all the front yard tortoise yards, and he's a landscape person, so I've asked him what he'd charge to put down weed barrier and rocks and get rid of the edges of the liner. If it's not too expensive, I'll hire him to do that. Otherwise I've got my work cut out for me!!!

I still have to replace the rotten fence on the north side that separates the YF yard from the pond, and build a fence across the west side of the pond to the property line to keep the turtles contained. I used to have the gulf coast box turtle yard fenced off on the south side of the pond, but since a portion of that land got cut off I don't think there's enough room there anymore. For now they're in with the three toes and not causing any trouble.
View attachment 351460View attachment 351461
Too bad you have to revamp it but I don't think it occurs to most people that pond liners need to be on flat smooth sand. As any new flooring does with whatever type of flooring job you're doing. It's good you're catching it early to get that problem fixed πŸ™‚
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
So it took two days, but eventually all the water drained out. Instead of taping the two pieces together all across the whole seam, they just put a dab of tape every so often across the seam. Naturally, I complained. Another winter came and gone. Then a couple weeks ago different people from the same road crew came with a new pond liner. This one had the seam vulcanized. The still didn't smooth out the dirt, and if I hadn't mentioned the two pieces of scrap lumber they would have installed the liner with the wood on the ground under it. It turned out quite wrinkly, and the liner doesn't go deep into the corners, but I accepted it. A couple days ago I filled it up, installed my Skippy filter, which is up and running, and as soon as my net arrived from Amazon (hopefully tomorrow) I'll catch the fish and put them in there. Now I have to figure out plants. The gulf coast box turtles will be living on the right side between the pond and the exterior fence. I'd like to leave their area unfenced from the pond, but I don't know if they're smart enough to not fall in.

road widening 4-28-23.jpg
 

New Posts

Top