Amazing.

 

Zucchini blossoms.

 

First Zinnia.

 

We are out of money. Lot's of projects sitting on the back burner.

 

Time for some boring, necessary, cheap projects...

 

Can't tell from the picture, but two seriously sunken sidewalk slabs, that have been driving Terry crazy forever, are about to be raised by the same man, who just figures these things out???

 

Look at that... No more puddle of water in the Summer,

and no more ice pond in the Winter.

 

Mom & Sandy worked on some sidewalk chalk art...

 

while Terry moves on to another project... TUCK POINTING.

 

Tuck Pointing is the art of chiseling out cracked and disintegrating mortar joints, between bricks, and replacing them with fresh crement.

 

He actually stole my Pink sidewalk chalk to mark all of the spots that need work.

 

It's alot of Pink chalk!

 

Today, he fixed the corner of the front porch.

 

He's pretty amazing.

 

 

4th of July

 

Took Kevin to visit Grandma today. We weeded gardens, and Kevin visited.

 

Terry working on the privacy screen...

 

Break for 4th of July dinner. BBQ chicken, and pilaf, and salad made entirely of stuff from the garden. Still loving the new grill !!!

 

Finished the night watching the crazy people in my neighborhood set of thousands of dollars worth of fireworks.

 

Thanks for the show !!!

Live, Laugh, Learn

 

Happy Fourth of July, and that means a Happy Anniversary to us.

 

One year ago today we moved into Project New House.

 

We actually bought the house in February, and worked on it until our move in date, so I guess the official anniversary is today.

 

Looking back through my picture diary is amazing, and happy, and mind-numbing.The things we've done, and still want to do...

 

And, we came out of it all in one piece.

 

It has been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but here we are, now, looking back.

 

Feels appropriate to showcase a tree.

 

A fifty year old Pine tree...

 

Replaced by a baby Crabapple.

 

Symbolic of each baby step we've taken to get to where we are today.

 

and Terry & I have laughed the whole way.

 

We're just gonna keep laughing.

 

 

 

 

A Walk Around the Backyard

 

Soo... we had the patio laid 2 feet farther from the side of the house,

so now I require a privacy shield here. 

 

Terry is working on the building of my great design for a small privacy wall.

 

I'll show it off when it's done.

 

Walked around the yard tonight, just taking pictures of everything...

 

(mom, you'll recognize the chairs and the planter).

 

I think the back windows need awnings........

 

Here's a started and stalled project. Two sidewalk slabs have sunken in,

 and Terry is trying to figure out how to lift them ???????

 

Chives and Green onions coming in.

 

Assorted Zinnias about to pop, and a front row of Alyssum.

 

Peppers, squash, and cucumbers.

 

Just cool looking. Candy Cane Phlox hybrid.

 

Flower pot daisies.

 

Miniature wave petunias.

 

Geraniums and Begonias.

 

Strange new variety of Petunia.

 

Ahh, sometimes, it's just nice to stop and smell the flowers...

 (not roses, cause I hate roses).

Random Stuff

 

Me & Terry looking into the funhouse mirror at Roger's Roost.

Oh my gosh, we laughed our asses off.

 

Roger's Roost was the venue for my nephew and his new wife's baby shower.

 

Terry came to keep Bob company.

 

Sandy came, and kept me company.

 

It was nice, and the baby got lots of great presents.

 

She's due August 5th.

 

*

 

Here's the latest project in the yard. More concrete to get rid of, roots, and dug up tree stumps. a broken fence, half dead privet hedges, weeds, and UGH !

 

This is the very back of the yard. It butts up to Engleman (the 1/2 mile road behind our property).

 

Once we clean up the junk, Terry wants a privacy fence, but I want to plant some more hedges and trees.

 

We'll see who wins this one...

 

We finish with my little Roxy, on her tenth birthday. She got a pig's ear, and she's happy.

 

*

 

Tonight were the Center Line fireworks. I would have pictures, but we could hardly see them. We live 1/2 a mile from the park, but soo many trees, we couldn't see them very well.  Boo.

 

Nitey Nite.

A Little Nature and alot of Odds & Ends

 

Wow, the Hydrangea's we planted last year are so beautiful.

 

This is a very poor picture of a Woodpecker. He was huge, right down low in the tree by the fence line. I first saw him sitting on the garage roof (with a Robin), I don't know, maybe they were having a meeting or something. When I grabbed the camera, he flitted down on the lawn, and then up onto this tree. One pic, that's all folks, off he flew. They have shown that they hate to have their picture taken. We have a family of them, little babies (so cute), but they dart away when the camera comes out. 

 

In less happy backyard news, these are leaves from an obviously diseased old Elm that sits behind our neighbor's property. After the last big rain, this is what the entire backyard looked like, covered with these icky, chewed up, rotten leaves.

 

There she is, that giant old Elm tree. It is not in our neighbor's yard, it actually sits on the city property, and I am real curious if the city would do anything about it... Hmmmmm.......

 

The garden, looking great. Already reaping lettuce and radishes and chives. The cukes are starting to climb the trellis, baby tomatoes are sprouting, peppers are coming, and pumpkins, zucchini, and acorn squash are spreading. Also plenty of fresh herbs; Sage, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley, Basil, and Rosemary...

 

and the one thing we have never tried yet... Celery !!! 

 

Back inside the house...

 

Some days, Terry and I look like nursing home patients, wandering like zombies, complaining, tired, and zero energy.

 

Some days, we zip around like we just ate a fistful of sugar cubes. Today, we had sugar...

 

When he came home from work, we just got going.

 

Mopped the basement, vacuumed the whole house, washed rugs and curtains, cleaned floors, finally hung a shelf for Kevin, and...

 

pulled a couple of new light fixtures out of the closet (bought them months ago, just never got around to them).

 

 A couple of chores that have been waiting for months.

 

Sometimes, the simplest of chores get put on the back burner. Today, the hallway in the bedroom area and the hallway by the front door got their new lights.

 

Nice.

 

and since Terry's neck would already be sore, he decided to finish the kitchen ceiling fan.

 

This old "Nutone" fan needed some cleaning and adjustments. It's a great original feature in this old house. I might even use it now...

 

Carry on.

Thank You Honey

 

There's the $269 dollar table we saw at the garden center yesterday...

 

and here's my new patio table, Terry whipped up from scrap wood.

 

He's a genius.

 

 

Second dinner on the new grill. Yum.

 

This grill is a winner.

 

The garden path is finished. It looks so cool.

 

Still working on the new patio, The area off the front is going to be extended with stones to include a fire-pit. This is going to require more excavation of grass, and some bright ideas (for cheap).

 

Here are the two Juneberry trees we planted next to the patio. They are going to make some nice shade someday.

 

I made the following joke at our last house, when we planted some evergreens next to the fence, and it fits here...

 

"The next owners are going to enjoy the shade from these trees in fifteen years".