Getting Things Done

I've never been one to sit around doing nothing.  And I certainly wasn't going to let myself mope around in grief and just get depressed.  So what did I do?  I undertook several home improvement projects.  I justified everything by saying it was all stuff Scott would have done if he could have . . . and stuff he refused to pay someone else to do, simply because he had always been able to do it all himself.  Now that he was gone, I knew I'd have to pay someone to do it, or it never would happen.  I needed to fix things like the leaky roof, the lawn full of root suckers and dog-dug holes, broken kitchen tiles, stained carpet, etc.  I figured such fixes would be a good investment of the small life insurance benefits I got.  I hope to be able to stay in my home at least a couple more years, but sooner or later I'll have to sell it . . .and these things really had to happen before I could ever sell it.



I'm sure some people think I got carried away.  But I've really been into visualizing what you want, and I wanted a beautiful yard and home.  It's still not done, but so far I got the roof repaired, replaced the pergola tarp with a permanent poly-carbonate cover, replaced the carpeted stairs with new wood to match the kitchen, and finished the laminate flooring in the hallway that Scott and I gave up on getting done.  I replaced the old tiled kitchen counter top with a laminate that looks like granite. I installed a range-hood microwave and new back-splash tiling.

I pulled up all the old weeds and overgrowth in all the flower beds . . .and pulled up the old lawn too, installed irrigation and new sod, and put in new concrete walkways (with my art tile stepping stoned inserted into the concrete) and a fire-pit patio area out back.  I had the driveway extended to make room for my new (used) RV, but ultimately I decided to make a new parking space in the back for the RV.  So now my son has a space to park his car in the driveway.  I have hundreds of plants and flowers going in, but it will likely take a couple of years to see them mature enough to make me happy.  I built an arbor/bench out of re-purposed materials, and made many garden spheres (out of old bowling balls), birdhouses, and added some flowers made out of re-barb and metal bands.

I do not have a green thumb, but I have really gotten into decorating the garden.  I hope I can learn enough about gardening to keep the weeds out, and make it as beautiful as I imagine it. I have a few art projects to finish and add to the yard.  I am making some "Peace Poles" to put in groups of three in the front and back.  And I am making some "Pot People" (no not that kind of pot).  I am just waiting for the picket fence to get installed so I can decide where to put these things.  And once the RV parking space is ready, I have a privacy fence (we're calling it the RV blocker) made out of recycled ceiling tin panels, to put up.

I love how all the neighbors are reacting to the improvements.  One guy stopped and said, "Girl you have great curb appeal going on."  I blushed, as if he said I have "curve appeal" or something.  Another guy, who has his own landscaping company came by, saying all his customers down the street said he needed to come see what I was doing.  They want their yards to look like mine.  I'm just so relieved to NOT be the yard that makes them cringe anymore.

I'll post some more photos, once the white picket fence and arbor gates get installed.  Maybe by then some of the flowers will have bloomed.