One must always start off with a plan.  Once you have a plan, dig out area for desired depth.  If however, the ground is already lower than the shed entrance, you just have to calculate how thick a slab you need to handle the weight.

Here you see that I framed in the area using ¼ “ plywood and wooden stakes.  I decided to pour the slab in two sections to mainly decrease the work for one day but also to add a separation to the two sections.  Then I place some gravel into the top section as the ground was low and I really did not need to have a slab 11” thick.  Once the decision was made as to the thickness, it was a matter to simply calculate the cubic ft to determine the amount of concrete mix.  Mind you a 50# bag will handle approximately ½  a cubic ft.  In this case, I needed 16 bags of mix, 8.5 for the top section and the remainder for the bottom section.  Because the slab is on a slant, gravity wants to take over at the thicker point.  That is where I had a difficult time at smoothing out.  Realize though that one can always use a belt sander with a course sandpaper to smooth out the areas that would not cooperate.

After the cement set for a day, I was able to remove all the framing and fill in the sides with soil.  Interesting is the fact that I purchased the concrete mix @ Lowes for under $2.00 / 50# bag.  It was on sale.  The entire job cost around $40.00 and estimated to be 8 hrs of labor.  This cost is under what a wooden entrance ramp would cost as before I decided to make the cement ramp, I had a wooden ramp made out of pressure treated wood I had made about 5 yrs. ago.  Even though the wood I originally used was pressure treated, it still showed rot due to moisture.   Bottom line, I believe his slab should outlast the shed and I should never have to make another.

I made Fire Cider last December when winter finally arrived in Florida.  That is touted to be excellent for staying healthy.  It worked for me to prevent / recover from cold or boost immune system although I cannot provide scientific proof, but according to the research it is true.  There are different recipes on the WWW.  I am using the recipe @ the link provided below:

http://www.mommypotamus.com/fire-cider-recipe/

Here are my notes:

** Cover the mouth of the jar with waxed paper to keep vinegar from eroding the metal lid.

** I was using organic raw – unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (BRAGG).  You can find it at Wal-Mart.  Raw apple cider vinegar is health stuff.  See http://mamavation.com/2015/01/25-ways-apple-cider-vinegar-will-change-life.html

** How to Use:  I use 1 tea spoon Fire Cider to drink it straight up after a meal and then rinse my teeth / mouth with water.

We are moving forward with having a metal roof placed on top of existing shingle roof. Country Manor Shake was our selection for the look we were after.  This type of roof looks like a tile roof from a distance.  An additional protective layer called Titanium UDL-25 plus was laid over the existing shingles to not only provide a water barrier but also because of the expansion and contraction of metal, it ensures that holes are not created over a period of time.  Then the Country Manor Shake Shingles were screwed down on top of Titanium UDL-25+, according to code for the Treasure Coast city of Port Saint Lucie (9 stainless steel screws were used per 4′ panel).  The roof looks beautiful and it should outlast our lifetime.

We got an AcuRite Weather Station from our Son as Christmas gift. The weather station LCD screen displays weather information measured from a wind / rain sensor installed at our back yard.  Wireless outdoor sensor features 5 technologies: thermometer, hydrometer, wind speed anemometer, wind direction, and a rainfall amount.

Another interesting technology is Aculink internet bridge which tracks the information and  stores the indoor / outdoor environmental condition on AcuRite server through a router.  Then we could publish the data on our website at some future date.

The information from the LCD display and the bridge is slightly different but it may be within tolerance of the technology.  In reality though, it is within an acceptable tolerance for home use.

After we cut a pineapple, we saved the top. Then, if we do not place in soil right away, we soak the crown in water until we have that opportunity. The results of planting the crown, provides us with a future benefit of a second pineapple. As we watch this planting mature it looks like it may be producing still a couple of additional pieces of fruit further down.

This is the second wood job for  2015.  The first was to add another 10′ shelf in the shed. The shelf was placed above the first one installed back some years ago. Now this table is designed to mount a router setup.  The existing setup was not level or sturdy enough, plus it was too high for routing a long pieces of wood.  The design for this was low cost so the legs were cut from a single 2″x4″x8′ costing all of $2.50  the side pieces out of a piece of pine, and then the top is 3/4″ oak ply wood with shoe molding around the side.  The stain was applied just to seal the wood.  Casters were added so it will be easily move around the garage.  Finally a power strip was mounted to the side so that the router could be plugged into it + a sander. The outlet basically eliminates unplugging the router when the sander needs to be used.

The Budweiser Clydesdale Horses are now touring Port Saint Lucie. We decided we needed some pictures to remember their visit. The Dalmatian showed up at the last minute to take his rightful place atop of the wagon. The Dalmatian decided not to walk with Clydesdales like “Lost Dog” at Super Bowl 2015 . He was happy to sit on the wagon next to the driver to watch the onlookers and picture takers. The Clydesdale horses and Dalmatian truly represent history and great beer.

This so far has been a mild winter and much better than last couple of winters because we have had mainly more rain and warmer weather. Our vegetable garden is getting full with broccoli and collard greens, strawberries, and peppers. We very much enjoy organic collard green with vegetable juice. Tomato plants are better than ever as they continue to produce. We enjoy the fresh tomatoes everyday in salad or vegetable dish. The Acorn squash is the first squash we have had after so many attempts to grow.