Why my back hurts

Once upon a time, my house looked like this. Pretty bare, huh? So I decided to do something about it.I moved in my house in Fall 2003. So in Spring 2004, I started doing some planting. There was an apple tree seedling growing over on the far side of the garage where no one could see it and where it didn't have room to grow. So I moved it out front. I planted a bald cypress in the back.


And a river birch out along the property line. You see, the winter of 2003-2004 was very wet. My backyard looked like a swimming pool. Rather than undertake expensive draining of the yard, I decided to soak it up into trees. Unfortunately, as it turns out, 2003-2004 was a very wet year around here and we haven't had that much water since. The trees, I fear, are going to limp along.


I also put in what I hoped would be a hedge row of American cranberrybush. I love those bright red berries in winter, and the viburnum flowers just look great in summer. But you see that silver maple down at the end of the row?



That damn tree is sucking the life out of everything around it. Out of my burning bushes. Out of my cranberry bushes. Out of my garden which also went in during 2004.

It's pretty amazing what one $2.50 packet of seeds can do for your yard.

This year, I got some free mulch from the electric company. Ok, "some mulch" may be an understatement. I got two piles as large as this one. I started in on the other pile first because the electric company guys put it over onto the city's property and I didn't want any trouble. So I worked on it for 2 days.


And this is 3 days. And then someone stole my wheelbarrow out of my yard. So there it sat for 2 months.So yesterday, I got busy and took care of the last of the first pile. Whoo hooo! All gone.


And this is where it went.



Won't be long before it looks like this. Plus, I won't have to mow behind those bushes this year!

Man, I just love spring. And fix-up projects. I can't wait for the pictures I'm going to take this year.

Home Sweet Home

I officially have been in my house 5 years now. Only 10 more years and it's mine, all mine I tell ya.

*rubs hands together devilishly*

But I've made some big changes. I guess I should have added "a good house project" to that list of things that make me happy. And now, for a blast from the past.


Fall 2005, I began the landscaping (right). Oh what a difference two years make (left is 2007).


The mint green in the kitchen made me feel like I was in an ice cream shop. So I added a splash of yellow rain coat.


More mint green in the living/dining area. Not that I'm opposed to green, just that I think a darker shade is better.

The bathroom was a disaster. 1960s wallboard: white with gold stars. The medicine cabinet was an eye sore. So I took things in my own hands.


Half way through this project, I began to regret it. There were surprise holes in the walls under that wallboard. The plaster walls were completely unfinished. The plaster beneath the window had rotted, I assume by years of water leakage. And atop it all, eight (!!!) layers of wallpaper. I kid you not. Peeling off that wallpaper was like taking a blast through the past. The simple geometric paper. The swans on blue water wallpaper. The tropical fish on black background wallpaper. And the bright yellow daisys on a striped yellow and green background. In fact, it was a stroll down tacky lane.


But I got a little help....


Two years later, voila!



Next project? Front porch.

Latest completed house project: The photo wall

OK, you guys have heard me moan about the expanse of living room that was opened up by the sale of the FAR TOO LARGE dining room suite that went to Bek. I finally DID paint the wall (evidence herein), and--taking a cue from IKEA (pages 340-341) and Olivia (who explained to me what she did, even if I didn't see it until later)--began to create a wall of photos. A well timed sale by my local WalMart (which seems to be getting rid of ALL their current stock of photo frames) helped and I decided my only criteria was that the frame had to be black and the mat--if any--had to be stark white. Other than that, anything goes.

The photos are all photos I took. There are no people or dogs in any of these. This is, for the moment, nothing more than a botanical/travel wall. Landscapes and portrait-type stuff. I think if you click on the photo, you might be able to see the actual photos themselves.

I'm not sure I'm done with this project yet. I'm toying with the idea of going all the way, floor to ceiling, with the photos.

Any comments/thoughts?

Edit: there is one picture of some assassin bugs mating, so the zoological crowd can get off my back!

Friday Half-Day Project

So I stopped by Lowe's today to pick up some odds and ends and they were having a "contractor's day" and I got a free knife (an in-store promotion for the contractors). Anyway, I got this idea for what I thought would be a quick project. After getting rid of the computer desk I had been using on my front porch as a plant stand, I needed something to get those plants off the floor.The desk was never optimal as a plant stand. I put it on the front porch because Mandy said she wanted it once and she never came and got it. So it just began to collect plants. In my house, any flat surface has a tendency to do that. Now, with the desk gone, the plant issue had become paramount. I decided on a built in. I bought three 1x8x8' pine boards and a 1x8x8' cedar board, came home and got busy.

Here is the result....

Click on the pics for a bigger image.

The whole thing is flush with the ledge that has always perplexed me about this porch. What's behind that ledge? Why is it there? It really makes no sense. In any event, the top board is cedar, so I figure if I overflow the water now and again, no big whoop. However, I used untreated pine for the rest of the bookcase and there are definite issues with warping, so the thing isn't even close to square. I had to buy a couple of L brackets and secure it to the wall lest it fall over with all my botanical treasures.

Total project cost $30 and a free knife. Total project time, about 4 hours. Although I still haven't rolled up the extension cord in the driveway. Still, not bad for a half day project, and I get a wicked bunch of room back in my porch area. It's almost pleasant to sit out here now.

Although, I have been sitting here thinking that this room would look a lot brighter if I painted it a lighter color. Any suggestions?