The difference one day makes

We spent the last couple days prepping for an unexpected change to the front yard.  At the spur of the moment, Adam decided yo take a bobcat to the front yard so that I could have the garden I wanted instead of in the awkward place I was trying to put it in.  

That morning, before going to work, this was the view from the inside stair case window.  

When I got home from work, this is what I found.  I really didn't know what to think.  I was kind of in shock.  It was only day 1 of 2 though with the bobcat and  I couldn't see how it would come together.

This was the yard from the front porch.  Wow, not pretty.

 But that's not all.  The driveway needed to be expanded as well since we were sorely lacking parking space.

Adam's been hard at work improving the yard and building raised garden beds.  I have three 7' x 14' beds so far and they are all planted...but that's another post.  I wish I had more time but it's already too late...just wanted to finally show one of our projects.

misty woods

It's been warm and rainy here lately and I've woken up more than once to fog surrounding us. This morning (last Saturday) I had time to actually walk through the woods behind our house in the fog. It's amazing how weather can change the mood of a place. I really enjoyed my walk.

Yard crashers

While I was on vacation, Adam did a tow for friends of ours, didn't charge them and lent them my car so he could get to work before he had a chance to work on his car. He is a horticulturist at a local college. They just had a plant sale that the students had planted. As a thank you, they brought enough plants for a 20 square foot area and planted them for us...the brought fertilizer, amendment and mulch. We got our very own mini yard crashers. The area they worked on has never looked so good...and the pansies and cabbage will continue to grow all winter providing us with color. So cool! I like that kind of thank you. I tried to help but she kept telling me to just let them do the work. They brought yellow pansies, red pansies, ornamental cabbage and snapdragons.

They brought all four of their kids and they made fast work of it.

They even watered everything and swept up.

We have great friends. And we are still planning on doing an overnight backpacking trip next month. Hopefully it's not too cold.

The new sidewalk

Adam's been working on cleaning up the garage and one thing that's been betting in his way was 6 bags of concrete that he bought when we were putting up the fence and clothesline that we ended up not using for that project. So he decided we needed to put in as much sidewalk as we had material for, which didn't reach to the gate. We knew it wouldn't but it did go further than we expected.

This sidewalk is in the drainage path so we are fixing the slope while working. The groud on either side will be lowered to match it in the fall or winter when I get a chance to move the monkey grass (the plants on both sides of it). We used to have holly bushes here but Adam had to take them out to fix the flooding problem we kept having. The bay window was rotting and the windows, window frames and the siding all had to be replaced. It hasn't been painted to match yet...partially because we don't have paint to do that but mostly because we just aren't too concerned about it until we go to paint the whole house and that's not in the plans just yet. We're using this cement mold. I like the looks but Adam likes it for water drainage since it's sitting where it is.


Adam mixed the water into the cement. That was quite the workout! I did it for one bag to give Adam a break and my abs still are sore when I move just right. (The yellow hand truck behind/beside Adam is one of his recent projects. He painted it yellow...he loves yellow. It looks nice and he only spent 25 cents on the paint.)


You fill in the mold and push the cement into the corners of the "stones" and lift it off right away.

There is a dye you can buy to mix into the cement but it was almost as expensive as the cement so we didn't bother. Adam had an idea though. He sifted some of the dirt we had just moved and we sprinkled it over the top. We really liked it. You can see it in the pic below. Most of the cement had already gotten sprinkled but the two closest to me have not. Shortly after we went inside, it started pouring rain and it moved the dirt around into the nooks and crannies. Oh well, we tried.

We got 9 blocks done, 3 more than the instructions said we'd get. We'll have to continue it another time when we have the cement.

building the dog barn

We had a project at wok that they needed some sheets of wood for. But they only needed them for a week. They were never nailed down to anything and aside from some concrete splashes, they were brand new. My boss wanted to throw them away so I claimed them. What to do with the wood?

We planned on beginning our morning early, getting to work by 9 to build a dog barn...Adam calls it a dog condo but I think it looks like a barn. The alarm went off bright and early so I would have time to cook breakfast, feed us and the dogs, get dressed and hang the laundry on the line before we got going. It was pouring rain so I turned it off but never really got back to sleep. Eventually, I got out of bed and did what I could inside. I had finished sewing my curtain panels and started on my valances. Around 11, it stopped raining and sometimes after that, we all went out to work.

I had to hang my laundry first though so I did that. On the other side of the fence is a big crepe myrtle. It's finally started blooming. I love those blooms. There was a breeze blowing through and it was nice and cool. So great!


Adam called his friend to see if he wanted to come over and help. He showed up just as I was walking toward the garage door after leaving the laundry part of the yard. So we had some help. James and I put in the foundation blocks and got them fairly level while Adam built the side walls. Then we discussed how to proceed from there.


The frame is almost complete here but there are a couple of things missing at this point.


We got the roof on, then James left. We let the dogs out to investigate it. None of the dogs like power tool sounds (well, Tucker doesn't seem to care too much since he was laying in it while we were using an impact screwdriver at one point. Poor Jack was shaking like a leaf while Adam was using the saw in the driveway...that's when I put them inside. The dogs were curious and anxious to all claim it.


It was funny to see them all running around...like they just got a new toy or something. Jack and Tucker have given it their seal of approval. Ihaven't caught anyone else using it yet though.


It's not finished yet. We'll be putting something on the roof to protect it some from the weather and I'd like to paint it but we'll see if that happens. There's also one more board to put on in the front top. Aside from that, it's done.


The footprint is about the size of a loveseat so it fits two dogs. As long as they really use it, we plan on building a second one so there's enough room for all the dogs. And we also have plans to build some kind of den/cave thing for Bear since that's what he likes. He currently lays under a propped up square of cement. When Barry redid the deck, he put this random square of cement under the stairs, not sure why. Bear wasn't sure why either since that's always been his favorite place to lay. So, I picked it up and propped it up temporarily but Bear decided he liked that tight place. 2 years later, it's starting to crack and I don't want it falling apart and crushing him so we're trying to figure out what to do to make a safe substitute for him that won't fall over.

chainsaw Saturday

On Saturday morning, I was working on my garden some more. Adam came out and offered to teach me how to use the chain saw (again). I used it in Wanship to cut some fire wood for our wood stove but I forgot how to use it since I haven't used it since. We had a few trees in the back yard that had fallen and needed taken care of. There were also some trees in our island by the driveway that needed to go. That's where we started. Adam felled the largest tree in the island to show me the technique. Then gave me some pointers and put me to work loping off branches of his fallen tree to get some practive. Then, I felled a few of my own and chopped them up as well. After about 45 minutes, Adam asked if I needed a break. I said yes and went and got some water. I was expecting to use it again but he didn't give it back.

He was cutting down a small tree here.


That's my handiwork.

Adam started in the backyard with a pine tree. When we moved here, it was a scrawny stick that was leaning over badly. It was taller than me by a couple feet but only a few inches around. Adam talked about cutting it out then but it never happened. So he was surprised to see how big it had gotten. When he cut it down, it actually fell on the dog fence and into the dog pen. You can see the mess inside the fenced in area.

Here's the trunk of that same tree behind the dog pen. It really had gotten quite big.

For the grand finale, Adam chopped down a huge tulip poplar. It was also leaning pretty badly and the roots were cracked. If you enlarge the pic, you can see Adam behind the tree cutting out a notch.

Here's what it looked like after it fell.

We had to clean up all evidence of that one since it landed partially on our neighbor's dog cemetary. It didn't cause any damage though, luckily. Only some of the smaller limbs made it out that far. We still have a lot of clean up to do in the back yard but that was definitely a good start.

After Adam finished, we went in to have lunch and I was falling asleep so took a 20 minute nap. I woke up and my left arm hurt pretty badly. It hurt for a few days. I am glad Adam took the chain saw when he did because it would have hurt even worse!

the handyman strikes again

I feel like I'm really behind on posting the stuff we've been up to. Maybe it's not true, maybe we haven't been up to that much, we'll see. I am goingto be posting a lot until I feel I've run out of stuff we've done though.

This Saturday, Adam made a handle for the gate that leads to the area with the clothesline. He picked out a 2x4 in the garage and cut this out on a band saw. I think it's pretty cool that I have a one of a kind handle. :o)



Also, I mentioned in another post that Adam built a composting bin for me and I realized recently that I never actually posted pics of it. I figured this would be a good post to add it to.

It's 4' in all directions. The gate is off for the pic.


The latching system is one that Adam thought up himself. He made the bin with all 4 posts in front (2 top, 2 bottom) hanging over a few inches. He cut a notch out of each post. The gate rests in the notches and it stays securely in place but is still easy to take off.

He's got some good dieas rolling around up there!

garden progress

First off, let me apologize for the format of this post. It refuses to let me fix it so I have given up. Here's my future garden. Who knew that a little garden could take so much work!?! I certainly never thought that it could be! This area is in front of the extra bedroom and I will be gardening in the smaller flower bed to the left of the main bed as well. It's all about the size of a smallish bedroom. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I had just plopped a raised bed on top of the grass but there were a ton of rocks that needed to be removed and large roots from the crape myrtle and holly bushes Adam pulled out last fall. I wouldn't have minded them being there if it weren't for the fact that they're sprouting new branches! So I've been diligently trying to get as many out as I can. Also, I've only been using a shovel and pick axe so no tiller or any other machine to make it go fast. Adam doesn't understnd why I would WANT to work hard when there are other options (even though we don't have a tiller or bobcat or the means to rent one right now anyway). But it sure does give me an appreciation for all the people who have lived without all our modern conviences! And I will treasure that garden because it holds alot of my sweat, blood and tears. Ok, not tears, but blood and sweat, for sure. These pictures were all taken during different stages of progress...though it may not seem that much has changed from one pic to the next. This last pic shows the area I've been saving for last. One portion of it is saved because there are some plants I will be transplanting to another area of the yard and wanted to wait to pull them out until I'm closer to finishing so they don't die while waiting. The dead looking area along the house is where the half the roots I have to deal with are. I don't have any pics of where I currently am but I am halfway done with that rooted area and half od the plants have been removed and laid in a shady area so they don't dry out and die while they wait until I am finished so I can work on a flower bed elsewhere where they will be put. I should be done by the end of the week with all the digging for this bed. Then, we'll be able to put a raised bed on it and fill it with good, composted soil. April 15th is the day here in our gardening zone that they say is safely past the last frost...the day you can plant outside. I wanted to be ready to plant by then but I will have to wait a week or so, I think. Which really, isn't too much later. I can live with that. Of course, plans don't always work out the way I want so we'll see... I am having trouble deciding what to plant though. I want tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, peas, green beans, beans, cabbage, squash, potatoes...and if I think hard enough I'll remember the couple of things I'm missing. But my garden is kind of small so I won't be able to fit all that! I will be making bins for the potatoes so they don't need to take up room in the garden at least. And maybe a table for the back deck where I can have planters with lettuce. Any creative suggestions that don't take up garden space?

Adam loves me, this I know, for the clothesline told me so!

Adam is so good to me! There are so many projects that need his attention. Some are for the house (main living area), some of for the business and some personal. When he was still working for NCR, and didn't have much free time, he still managed to do little things for me that he thought I would appreciate. I am not an outwardly emotional person and I know he's always disappointed when I don't give him an enthusiastic response to something but he still does it anyway and I love seeing the smile on his face when he shows it to me and explains it all to me. Whenever he finishes a project for me, I am always amazed at how selfless he can be with his precious time. I, sad to say, am not so selfless. I am pretty stingy with my time. I try not to be but it just doesn't come so natural to me as it seems to for him. Last weekend, when we were working on the fence, we talked about our future plans for the side yard. I mentioned (as I mentioned in the past to him) that this was the most logical spot in our yard for a clothesline. You can't really see it from the road , the neighbors on one side could only see it if they came out of their house and around to that side of their yard (this is the side of the house we just put the fence up on) and no one borders us on the backside so. When I got home on Tuesday, I think it was, Adam was in the driveway working on building the clothesline poles!The next day, they were set in the ground with cement. I was told I couldn't use them until Saturday and I was very excited to get to use them. Unfortunately, the cement didn't set for some reason so I didn't get to use them yet. This view is from the back woods, looking through the dog pen. (Excuse the blue mess up top, please.) Monday, after work, I was planning on going to a nearby park with hiking trails with Olympia, a friend of mine, to do a test hike with loaded backpacks to see how we will do with a full load for a weekend backpacking trip we'll be doing this upcoming fall. She called me early morning and told me she had gotten a stomach virus and wouldn't be able to make it after all which freed up my evening. Adam told me we could work on resetting the poles when I got home. So I took the evening off of biking and walking the dogs for a good cause. ;o) Here's the upper post. Adam built it with a handy dandy table for folding or for setting the basket on. The table's not level though so that will need some minor tweaking. Tucker spent quite a bit of time supervising us from the deck. He was very concerned that I was home but not within reach of him. Adam drilled the holes with the fence post auger, we leveled off the poles and had to put guy lines on them in all four directions to make sure they set level. We mixed the cement and dumped it into the holes but we only had enough cement for half of each pole. Well, we decided that was a good thing because it would give the cement in the bottom a chance to dry a bit before the rest of the load got dumped in the next evening. By the time we got everything cleaned up and put away, it was 9:30 and we hadn't eaten or cooked so Adam ordered a pizza from Papa John's. Tonight, I was going to ride my bike after work before we got down to business finishing off filling the holes with cement. But Adam decided that while we were going to be getting stuff dirty with cement, he might as well set the posts for the fence we'll be putting in near the clothesline...the one we weren't able to get done the night we put up the one in our neighbor's yard. I strained my neck at work and can't look up when bending over so it turned out that I wouldn't be able to bike today after all anyway so that's precisely the position I have to be in to bike. Good thing because we were working much longer than I planned on. We took quite a bit of time leveling off the the fence line and marking it all out...figuring out the angle for the gate, where to put it. That all took quite some time. Finally, Adam drilled 2 of the fence post holes and it was already dark when we were mixing up the cement. We filled up those two holes as well as topping off the clothesline holes. We still have 3 holes to drill and fill but we already know where they're going at least so, in theory, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours. Our theories on time are usually proven wrong though. Now, this weekend, I will be hanging something and getting great pleasure by watching them blow in the breeze! Working on this project with him has shown me just how much time each project can really take....and it makes me appreciate him even more for all he's willing to do to improve the house and yard. I know that a clothesline was probably on the very bottom of his list of things to do (especially since he doesn't even like having his clothes line dried because of the stiffness factor) but he did it anyway, to make me happy and it took a lot of his time. He didn't complain and I really do appreciate it! Thanks so much Adam, I love you too!