pets

Product Review: Litter Robot

Submitted by Steve on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 7:18pm

I never thought I'd be doing a product review for an electronic cat litter pan.   A table saw or compressor, yes.  Well, until I get back into construction mode at BRH, I've got to fill the blog with something.

Seriously though, regulars to this blog know that I don't accept direct advertising and that I generally steer clear of product reviews.  I usually spotlight a product only when it really pleases me (like the Magic Trowel and Glasseye 2000) or it pissed me off (the ISY99-i Insteon controller, cheap CFL bulbs and stay tuned for an upcoming mega-smackdown on Mannington engineered flooring!)

You've probably seen late night TV ads for self-cleaning cat litter pans and assumed that there had to be major issues with them.  I did.  After all, how many people do you know who actually own one?   I never took them seriously until the Great Owls Head Cat TNR Roundup last summer.  Afterward, the feline population at Brooklyn Row House suddenly increased to four healthy, adult cats and the occasional drudgery of litter pan cleaning became a hateful morning ritual.   Anything that could reduce that aggravation has my permission to call itself a "tool".

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Farewell, Chopper.

Submitted by Steve on Sat, 08/16/2008 - 10:45am
I found Chopper as a 9 week old kitten. It was almost a set up for a bad joke: "A cat walks into a bar..." but that's how it went. During our Tuesday night motorcycle hang at the Ear Inn on Spring Street in Manhattan, an orange kitten bravely walked in the door and started begging food from the patrons. I picked him up and he started licking my face like a golden retriever.
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The Back Yard


 

The back yard wasn't too bad in comparison to the house but it had problems. The poplars in back were infested by a several termite colonies, which had attacked the house. The cement path to nowhere made no sense to me. The Madonna shrine was unfortunately not my taste either and the lilacs were diseased with some kind of leaf rust. Finally, the chain link fence was rusted and falling down in back. So I had all the excuses I need for a Sawzall slash and burn.
 

Click on any picture to expand it

  
The original back yard.    


 

Work in progress. The fence was stick-built from CCA stock, with each picket glued and nailed. It wound up costing less than half the price of a pre-fab Illinois fence of similar construction (materials cost was about $750) and less than a quarter the price of an installed fence. Actually, it was easier to install than a pre-fab because we hit major obstructions while attempting to dig 8-foot standard post holes. So each of the panels is a slightly different length.

With help from my next-door neighbor, Betsy, and her friend, Todd Schultz, we got this far in five days. Once we got the rhythm and process down, we were able to knock off a panel every ten minutes, with a twenty-minute rehydration break between. The post holes were dug to between 24-36" and filled with 100-150 pounds of concrete and gravel. Then we moved on to replacing Betsy's fence too.		   Betsy's fence is finished. The post caps are installed and a gate was built between Betsy's and my yards (in the shadows under the pine tree). I installed low-voltage lighting on the fence posts, as did she: a nice Hollywood touch. I ripped up the lawn with a roto-tiller, tossed in six bags of peat moss and planted grass seed. This is just a temporary measure to anchor the mud until Betsy figures out my future garden for me. Since I planted grass so late in the season I don’t expect a House and Garden contender here.
This was shot in late November while the backyard is in winter shadow. You can't see that I actually have something of a lawn now, as well as a small garden, thanks to Betsy (who went nuts on it this year... I really need an updated shot). The fence was sealed with a semi-transparent stain.   May 9, 2004. I did the lawn, roses and iron/brick work but Karen and Betsy are mostly responsible for everything else. There's a pretty well-stocked herb garden on the left and veggies on the right.
August 20, 2004. The morning glories have taken over. Next year, I'm going to lose them (which isn't going to be easy) and plant roses and cucumbers on that fence. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to dump most of the flowers and plant veggies instead. A garden should pay for its own keep.   Summer '05: my daily tomato and basil harvest. Two seconds after this picture was snapped, Jack made gazpacho out of Betsy's display.
March '06: I had enough heartache trying to keep the grass healthy, especially with two active puppies. So I had it bricked in.

I had intended to do this job myself but the more I got into the details, there were drainage and soil issues I wasn't comfortable with so I called Jim Lally (upper left) of Galway Bay Contracting. I've used Jim for several projects here. He and Dessie Travers, his main man, laid it like a mud floor, with a 4" concrete bed over crushed gravel. It meant having to excavate and remove over 10 cubic yards of dirt, which was another reason I wanted a crew for this. Jim is an artist and has always gone above/beyond with his jobs here. Check out the herringbone "dance floor" design in the middle.		   Summer '06: So long as Auggie has a ball, he's satisfied.




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