Bathroom Project. Month # 8

Of course, it shouldn't take 8 months to redo a bathroom, but I can only work on it about 1 or 2 days per month. Since the last blog entry on this project:

1. Floor is replaced with 3/4 inch outdoor grade plywood. On top of the plywood I laminated a 4-ml polyethylene barrier. Then 1/4 inch cement backer-board, thin-set and screwed into place with backerboard screws. It is ready to tile.

2. Walls are reframed. About 1/2 of the framing was recycled. The new drywall is mold resistant paperless drywall. Bathtub surround is 1/2" backer board. Insulation in the ceiling was changed from 3" to 7". New exhaust fan is installed.

Today I sanded the walls and ceiling, and painted with primer.

Have a Zucchini!

These have a buttery texture. Cut them when small - they taste better and you dont have to figure out what to do with a 10 pound wonder.

Fast Growing Eucalyptus

Not only did it survive the winter, it is growing by leaps and bounds without supplemental watering! This tree has some potential. Of course, next winter might be colder, resulting in a dead eucalyptus, but that's part of the intrigue.

Epiphyllum flower buds

This cactus was nearly completely denuded by some type of illness that made most of the sections become brown and crispy. I removed the dead parts, which was most of the cactus. One of the few remaining sections looks like it might bloom. Does it have the energy?

Kitchen garden

Tomatoes are starting to set fruit. Here is Lemon Boy with a marble sized fruit. The figs are also producing embryonic figs that I expect to harvest in late fall. here is Hardy Chicago. This tree is 3 feet tall and in it's 2nd year. An early producer.

opuntia flower

Here is a better photo. Apparently the flowers last only one day., then change color to orange and fold up. Will there be edible fruit?

Flowers

Ville de Bruxelles
Opuntia
Oriental Lilies
Angel Face

hummer

They like the crocosmia more than any other flower in the yard.

Banana recovery

This banana looked dead. The "dry overwinter" method was too much stress for it. "Yes, we have no bananas" this year. But it is recovering. I read that they need a lot of nitrogen and a lot of water. It got a dose of fish emulshion today.

Yellow Clivia

This yellow clivia was purchased as a SEED whcih cost about $8.00 via mail order. That was 5 years ago. This is its first blossom.