Measurements

Huh. Not much of a title this time. What I'm dealing with is that I seem to be short in the body compared to all my other measurements. I've longer arms than standard for my neck/chest, so anything I get that is of a 'fitted' style is off. My wrists used to be enough thinner than average for my arms that every pair of button cuff shirts I bought in Chicago I shifted the wrist buttons by an inch. That's not as bad now, but cuffs are still kinda loose. Got real tired of shirts bagging out at the waist, which they still do to an extent. Had a legit Ike jacket back in High School, fit me fine, finally the arms got too short for me, my arms grew. Seems like I'm still that size in re torso length, got another used Ike jacket recently, arms weren't too bad, but the waist, well, it was fine if I didn't mind a huge, like four plus inches, roll in the middle as the thing was just too long for me. Just got one of those fancy workman's belt/suspender combo's, so that when I go out to the Yard I can bring the loppers with me without my pants trying to pull down. Had to redo the suspender section, took up two inches, not enough really, I'll have to take up another two so that it hits properly. Reason enough to get my place tidied up, need to be able to sew my own shirts and gear. Need to make my own arm protection, can lay my hands on some thick, sturdy, yet incredibly supple leather, would keep the stickers off my arms quite nicely. Then use some of the same leather to make some gloves, envision taking some decent canvas ones, just a little loose on the fingers, sew the leather to the undersides of the fingers and palm, the stitches would pull the fabric up enough to make them more form fitting, that way I'd hope for flexibility while protecting my hands from the nasty blackberries. I'm cynical. There is no way I'll have been successful in getting the blackberries under control this year, and even if I did, it will be a constant battle to keep them under control. One of the outgrowths I dealt with today, well, it came from the other side of a concrete wall, which means from under an asphalt parking area, which prior to that had been, you guessed it, the original blackberry infestation, the one that existed when we moved here in 1976! It's been covered in asphalt for 15+ years. And still, live roots exist under there. Proof, proof I tell you, that blackberries, like clematis-the-vine-that-will-not-die, are from Outer Space. Oy. I'm mono-maniacal these days, aren't I? But not for very much longer, I've got complete control! [with apologies to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, sorry, couldn't resist.] Aside from learning that I'd better start wearing full coverage safety glasses [branch snuck up on me, stabbed my right eye, its scratched and watering something dreadful, actually most comfortable closed, which makes typing and such interesting as I'm used to stereoscopic vision and not having to keep one eye shut while using the other], anyway, aside from that, I found out that the Fiskar® pruning saw also works just jim dandy as a soil loosener when excavating blackberry and clematis roots, and is useful cutting through roots further down than I can reach. The Japanese actually have a gardening knife for this purpose, Bill has one, I should look into getting one. Did do a number on the clematis today, something about surface vines ¾" diameter, an even 1" at the root node, with even larger roots creeping off to make you glad you had a nifty saw to help cut a distance below the surface, under the root ball/knob/kernel/nugget/whatever-you-want-tο-call-it, that clematis, while not dead, will be severely weakened when it tries to come back. Oh, got a new nickname to toss out, figure its what the plants are calling me these days. John "Clear-Cut" Mead, 'cause my answer to trees or anything vegetative getting between me and where I need to go is to raze it to the ground, and beyond. We're having a tough time believing its the same yard as a month ago. The really interesting bit is that what I covered today is area that I covered a month ago, and there wasn't much grow-back, especially no clematis grow-back, and that's where I hacked/dug up the major mondo mother-of-all-battles root mass, where I'd detached stuff right above the surface back when I started all of this. So maybe I'm being more effective than I'm giving myself credit for. Would be nice, if so. Might actually need to start planning what to do next, like thinking about how to build a shelter for hanging out in. Oh, yeah, haven't had an allergy shot in two years now, and I've been doing four-eighty AC in the apt. this summer; you know, four-eighty, four windows rolled down travelling eighty miles an hour down the freeway? So actually planning on using the outdoors is reasonable again. Which is way cool. Walnut and Oak are softwoods, Apple is a hardwood. Don't know if these are their official designations, but Walnut and Oak are much easier to cut through than an equal thickness of Apple, and for me, that's the definition to care about! Got a bunch of files in the basement without handles, well, not for much longer, got a bunch of limbs the right size to make handles from now. The eye says this is enough for now. Got an eye exam scheduled the first of October, will have been four years since the last one, know I need new glasses. Whatever. Post this Puppy!