We’re making progress on the deck. Yeah!!! The last two nights when Joe has gotten home from work the weather has been beatufiul and we’ve been able to go out and work away. It’s coming along a lot faster than I thought it would, especially considering we aren’t as young as we once were and we don’t move quite like we used to! All that’s left is to screw the floor in place. Hopefully someday we can put a railing around it but that will have to wait a year or two (or more). I’m just happy to have the deck itself! And I’m looking foward to being able to just spend time enjoying it rather than working on it!
Taking a break to show Drew how to use the drill. This child is so curious – he wants to know how to do everything!
We had no set plans for the weekend. Joe was gone all last week – gone for a couple nights then home one night then called out again the following day. He was exhausted. I’m glad we didn’t have anything planned so that he could relax a little after such a grueling week.
Dad brought over a bowl of wild black raspberries he had picked from the timber. I love them, nobody else here cares too much for them. So I made a cobbler. Drew ate one helping. I ate the rest. It was so good. I didn’t eat it all in one sitting – I did stretch it out over a couple, three days!
And for some I reason decided to make sun tea for Joe and Drew. Drew had asked me to buy a jug of Arnold Palmer tea for them and as I was filling a glass for him it dawned on me, I bet I could make this a lot cheaper if I made sun tea and put lemon in with it. So I got on Pinterest and guess what, I wasn’t the first to think of this! (I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be before getting on Pinterest – I was wanting to see how others made theirs) Drew thought it was a neat process and Joe enjoyed the tea although next time I’m not supposed to use quite as much lemon! I didn’t realize until I read up on sun tea that it is mostly a Midwest thing. I remember Mom making it a lot for Dad when I was growing up and we saw someone at the camp grounds awhile back making some. I’ll be making sun tea a lot I think the rest of the summer – it sure is cheaper than buying the jugs at the store and it’s so pretty to see sitting outside in the sun. I just wish I liked to drink it. I try but I just can’t get it down.
As you can see – way too many toys and stuff. We don’t have picture perfect bedrooms – we let the kids decorate their own rooms and really make them theirs.
On Saturday Joe mowed, I weeded and put down some more mulch and then we headed to Ottumwa and bought Drew a bunkbed. It’s a long story but he hasn’t had a bed for the last few months and had been begging for a bunk bed. We had shopped around earlier in the month so we knew what we wanted and where to get it. We brought it home and spent the rest of the evening putting it together and lo and behold – Drew slept in it! And he slept in it last night. He has not been one to sleep by himself for a very long time so this was huge – for all of us! If I had known a bunk bed would have been all it took, we would have done this a long, long time ago. I don’t know why but with Abby and Aaron we had no trouble with them sleeping in their own beds. Eric and Drew not so much.
Hopefully some day soon this will be deck instead of an eyesore!
Sunday we decided to finally start working on extending the deck. And of course we discovered that while we thought we had some of the boards we needed up in Joe’s woodpile, we actually did not. So after starting in on the project, we had to make a Menards run for more supplies. This was absolutely not in the budget which means we’ll be putting the pergola project on hold until next year. Which is fine. I can wait. But that also means less work for Joe this summer which is not a bad thing. We didn’t get as much done on the deck as we had hoped and it looks like there’s a lot of rain in the forcast for this week so we might not get much done but we’ll work on it as we can and eventually it will get finished.
And slowly but surely, this will be a useful and pretty space too.
While Joe was working on the deck doing things I couldn’t really help him with, I transplanted some hosta and day lillies that were going to be covered up by the new deck. Since we won’t be working on the pergola this year, I went ahead and planted the daylillies by it. Joe wasn’t wanting me to plant anything more around it until he got the sides put up but I didn’t have anyplace else to put the plants. Plus, we have the mulch to put around it and I don’t want it to set too much longer in the bags for fear it will mildew so this week I plan to put the mulch down too. We’ll just have to work around things the best we can next year and I won’t put anymore plants in until we’re done. We put the pergola up a few years ago thinking we would use it a lot but we just don’t so our plan is to use the old, rusty, corrugated tin we have to put a roof on and put sides about halfway up all the way around with more of the tin and we also plan to put a floor in instead of the loose rock that’s there now. Then it will be shaded, free from rain and somewhat secluded. Hopefully we will use it more this way.
The day lilies are starting to bloom!
That was our weekend. Nothing too exciting but we did get a few things accomplished. Now onto the week ahead. I’m thankful Joe doesn’t have any scheudled days to be gone overnight this week or for the the next few weeks. Unless some emergency crops up again. I don’t mind a day or two here and there but being gone the majority of the week just isn’t fun.
Oh my goodness did we have a hot weekend. We had near record highs all weekend – extreme heat and humidity. You would sweat just standing still outside. And to top it off, the bugs have come out in full force. We’re having July/August weather in May. Very unusual.
Since Joe worked outside all day Friday he wanted to take a break on Saturday so we took Dad and Mom to look at campers. They bought their camper last year but there’s a couple of things about theirs they aren’t completey happy with and we took them to look at what else is out there. We had a fun day. Nobody came home with a new camper but there sure are a lot of options out there.
(Before the blood, sweat and tears)
(After – looking so much better!)
Then Sunday Joe and I worked outside. Talk about blood, sweat and tears – all of that and more went into this project! Sweat was running off both of us, there were a few “tears” as there always is when we try to work together on something like this – at least I don’t get mad and walk away and leave him to finish on his own. After all these years together we’ve pretty much learned how to work together without it getting to that point! And Joe smashed his finger and cut it open while trying to cut one of the cement blocks so there’s the blood! Nothing major – no trips to the ER or anything like that but he sure has a sore finger. But, we got it done and it’s looking wonderful! It’s so nice to have things finally starting to look nice! Unfortunatley it’s so hot and buggy we can’t really enjoy it yet. But the time will come! We still have to extend the deck to get it where we really want it and to really be able to use it.
Yesterday was a real do nothing day for us. Drew and I slept in. Joe mowed the yard. I worked on a menu for our family camping trip coming up the second weekend in June. Then we ran to Oskaloosa to get groceries – I stocked up. I have somewhat of a menu planned for the next two weeks and the camping weekend and outside of milk, bread and fruit, I should be able to steer clear of grocery stores and any stores for that matter for quite some time. I’m looking forward to just staying home and not running. No running to town twice a day to take Drew to school and bring him home. Maybe I’ll be able to get some things done around here for a change!
When Joe ran into H & M on Saturday to get a replacement tube for the wheel barrow tire he mentioned that they had these tractor planters that reminded him of his dad and he thought it would be nice to have one in the flower bed along with the stone he got from Albert’s funeral. He wondered if I would have anyplace to do something like that. Now this is not something Joe normally thinks about doing so I thought I would run back in sometime during the week and get one for him for Father’s Day because he had obviously put some thought into it. But then I didn’t know where I would put it so he wouldn’t find it. So, on Sunday I suggested we go in and look at it and if he wanted it it could be an early Father’s Day present. I should have taken a before picture because we got it home and Joe immediately took it down to the shop and “Oliverized” it! He used the paint he had leftover from when he refinished his Dad’s original Oliver tractor to paint the wheels red and the grill yellow. The little planter came with a free flower and he picked out a begonia – a flower his mom always liked. I think it’s just perfect and a perfect addition to this little spot under the kitchen window!
(Before transplanting day lilies, digging out rocks and dirt)
We went into winter last year in a drought and earlier this spring we were still considered a drought area. So, when we get rain we’re very thankful. Which is why as much as I want to, I will not complain! We had plans for the weekend. Such fun plans – working on our landscaping projects. And we got a good start. We’re almost done with filling in the flower bed. As usual, we decided we need some caulk that we don’t have so until we get that we can’t be officially finished with that. But rather than run for one little item, we decided to start on the this bigger area.
(All dug out and nothing but mud!)
We have it all cleaned out now. This was a project unto itself. Raking rock and dirt, shoveling it into the wheel barrow and then hauling it out to another area in the yard to use as fill. Until the wheelbarrow tire went flat. While Joe worked on repairing that I proceeded to fill buckets with rock and dirt and carry them across the yard. What a workout that was! I wasn’t fast but I did get it accomplished! It turns out Joe couldn’t repair the tube so we decided to get cleaned up, run to town to H & M for a new tube, and then on out to Belva Deer to visit Dad and Mom. And while we were out there – it started to rain. We had to get home as quickly as possible because we left all our tools and everything outside with the intention of coming back and working some more and hopefully finish this project. And well, it rained a lot. And then Sunday it rained some more. And so now, instead of an ugly, rocky, weedy area outside our backdoor, we have a huge area of mud! According to the forecast, which changes on an hourly basis anymore, we are to get rain on and off all week. But, I will not complain. We need the rain. This project isn’t going anywhere. We will just have to be patient and work on other things until we can get back to it.
That’s what we did yesterday after the rain. Joe put up the new backdoor light. The one we had hadn’t worked for years and it’s so nice to have a light out there again. I’m sure people who visit in the evening will enjoy it too. We have a yard light but there’s a tree that blocks most of the light from the door so this will be wonderful to come home to when we come home at night. It’s motion sensored and I just love it! We cleaned out the gutter above the backdoor, which needs to be done on a regular basis thanks to the trees around the house. And we put the new solar lights on the posts on the front deck. Now they look so pretty at night! Sooner or later, things will get done and I will not complain about the rain. It is so very welcome around here right now!
I don’t mow. And we have a pretty large yard. This picture is only showing a small small portion. And after all the rain last weekend the grass had grown so tall and thick, it doesn’t look the greatest. I really needs to be swept. Anyway, I used to mow when Joe and I first got married but I could never mow to suit him. He would complain every time I tried. He would always tell me I mowed like a farm girl. Well – since I did grow up in the country on 40 acres, I guess I was kind of a farm girl so why would I not mow like one??!! So, there finally came a point where I said I was done. No more mowing for me. It wasn’t my favorite thing to do anyway so I really didn’t mind not doing it. I didn’t like how many hours it took Joe weekly to get it done though. Now through the years we have had various mowers and when we got the John Deer I tried again thinking this mower would be easier for me to handle. Nope – still couldn’t mow to suit Joe. But yesterday, I really wanted to get started on our newest project but the yard needed mowed. We now have a zero-turn mower and I asked if I could try it out. This was definitely a first for me and it took a little practice. I was certainly glad I started up in back where I couldn’t really be seen because I know it had to have been quite a sight but I did, finally, get the hang of it! I mowed until it was time to run to town to pick up Drew while Joe trimmed. When I got home he had the trim done, finished mowing and we had lots of time to get started on the next project. So, maybe I will have to mow the yard once in awhile now. After all Joe didn’t say a word about my mowing like a farm girl! It was nice to have the job done and out of the way. And I kind of enjoyed this zero-turn thing – once I got the hang of it!
We didn’t get as much done on this project as I was hoping but we did get a good start on it. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, we decided we needed to add treated board to the back of this and we could only scrounge up one around here so we had to cover everything up for the night and we’ll start again tonight after we get a board. Now – we live in a very old home – built in 1900 so everything we have to work with is old. Nothing nice and new and easy here! When we bought this place, this was a flower bed full of beautiful red geraniums. It didn’t take long to discover that the cats also liked to use it as a litter box. And since this leads right up to the back door – it was not the ideal placement for a litter box. So, eventually we decided to fill it in with decorative rock.
That worked for awhile, until Drew got old enough to start using it as his personal dirt/rock playground. Needless to say – it was definitely not a pretty sight. We decided to fill it in with landscape blocks and I can set pretties out there or flower pots if I want. Of course nothing is square or even or whatever but I think it’s going to look just fine. I can sweep off the twigs and stuff that fall off the tree, it can no longer be used as a litter box and Drew will have to dig in the dirt somewhere else. And I’m sure it will also be used as it has always been used – a place to sit and relax – only now it will be a nice tidy place to sit and relax!
I love finding these random notes from Drew. You never know when or where you will find one. I found this one posted on the refrigerator door – he knew I would definitely find it there!
Last night we ran to Menards to get supplies for our next outdoor project. I really hate spending the money but we have put these things off for too long and it’s time to get them done. Since Menards is self-serve we rarely have anybody offer to help us and last night was no exception. I’m sure those young male workers got a kick out of watching a 51 year old overweight lady help load up the trailer with 10′ pieces of lumber, 40 pound bags of sand and 53 landscaping blocks. By the time we were done I was dripping with sweat and could hardly move – now that is a workout! And yes, the trailer is sitting beside another project for this summer – one of two buildings that have to come down. The work just never ends!
Yesterday I worked outside – all afternoon and evening. I was sweaty and dirty and absolutely exhausted by the time I came in – but it was a good exhausted! We are finally making progress around here. I should have taken before pictures to show just how bad things were looking. I did just go out and take before pictures of our next project – I’m just not sure that I want them to be seen!
I spent the afternoon working on our little deck that is right off the dining room. I rearranged, planted flowers, swept, and tried to make it a place you would want to go to and enjoy. It didn’t see much use last year due to it being so darn dry and the dust off the gravel road being so bad. Since we’re having the road sprayed next week and we’ve actually had some rain this spring I thought it would be safe to try and spruce things up out there!
Then when Joe got home we worked on putting down landscaping and mulch. Lots and lots of mulch! I still hate that the chickens can’t free range (although it’s a huge relief not worrying about them being on the gravel road or the highway) but these beds looked soooo bad. Not a drop of mulch was left and the black paper we had put down was showing all over the place. It just looked so awful. Then we had never put down anything to contain the mulch around these two sides of the house and we decided it was just time. We used a recycled product that was lightweight and easy to install and is so easy to mow around. We’d used it elsewhere and Joe loved it so we finally finished the rest of the house with it. I love the way everything looks now.
I still have a lot to do – lots of weeding and making things look nice. We need to put a new door on the basement. The house needs power washed and the decks need re-stained. But it’s so nice to have the hard part done. Now it actually looks like the people who live here care – well, that they are finally starting to care! It will really look like we care once we get everything done we have on our to-do list!
I ran out to Harper’s Corner, the local Amish greenhouse that opened up last year, to pick up a bag of potting soil. They have potting soil at the best price in town. I love this little greenhouse – they called it Harper’s Corner because they live down the road from Harper’s Corner – the farm where Bill Harper’s lived for years. Now his grandson lives there. Bill was my first 4-H leader and such a great guy. He always had a smile on his face. I think everybody in town knew Bill. It’s the perfect name! I did bring home a 40 pound bad of potting soil but I also came home with this planter. I just couldn’t pass it up – it’s recycled and it’s chicken related and it’s filled with Hens and Chicks. It just had to come home with me!
Wow -it’s Monday. I have no idea what happened to the weekend. We had the first nice weekend weather wise in so long and it just flew by. Friday night we ran to Ottumwa to get supplies to build the chicken enclosure and Saturday morning saw us up and outside building the darn thing. Unfortunately we ended up having to make another Ottumwa run and a run to town to our local farm and home store before we could finish and it took us literally the whole day and we’re still not done. But – we were able to get enough done that the chickens are no longer running free all over the yard destroying everything in their paths! I do feel bad – they are some very unhappy chickens right now. And I do miss looking out and seeing them wandering around. And yet – we can’t have them destroying the yard like they were doing. We’ll let them out to free range now and then but not on a daily morning to night basis anymore. And I’m sure they’ll be a little happier when we get everything done and they have more room to run. We didn’t get back in the house Saturday night until after 7:00 so a quick meal of leftovers and we were beat!
Sunday saw us up early working in the yard. Mom had given me a bunch of hostas and I had to get those in the ground. Then I worked on picking up junk in the yard. Where does it all come from? People must just throw their garbage out their windows. I know they do when they turn onto our gravel road because I find beer cans and fast food containers along that side of the house a lot. Grrrr. So, I picked up, organized, got cushions out and on chairs, hung my new wind chime Abby gave me for Christmas (love it!) up on the pergola, pulled out an old rose bush that was just not pretty anymore, checked in on the chickens numerous times to make sure they were okay, then in for a quick lunch and a quick shower and we loaded up the truck with furniture for Aaron. He has been in his apartment for a couple of years now and never had a bed. He just slept on his couch. He finally decided he wanted his old bed and dresser. And Dad and Mom had a recliner to give him. So we loaded it all up and headed to Washington. Got it all unloaded and now this mom feels better knowing her baby has a bed to sleep in – although whether he actually sleeps in it or not remains to be seen!
After all of that we took Aaron out for supper. We had such a nice time. Dad and Mom were with us and Eric and Drew. It was nice to spend time with the boys and watch them interact. They are 26, 19 and 7 – such an age difference – and yet they get along so well and you can just see the love they have for each other! When we pulled back into our driveway around 7:30 Joe asked if I wanted to start putting mulch down. No – I did not. But – yes I took advantage of his offer and we got a start on the flower beds until it got too dark to see. We got just enough done to see we were going to need more mulch. And so spring finally begins – long days spent outside working to get things done that need to be done after a long winter. Lots of late nights and early mornings. But we enjoy it. Today after picking Drew up from school we’ll run to the new greenhouse in town, pick up a handful of flowers and potting soil, run over to Mom’s for some more hosta and back home to get everything planted. We’re supposed to get rain the next few days. I hope we do – we are really needing the rain.
(Before the blood, sweat and tears)
(After – looking so much better!)
(Before transplanting day lilies, digging out rocks and dirt)
(All dug out and nothing but mud!)
Last night we ran to Menards to get supplies for our next outdoor project. I really hate spending the money but we have put these things off for too long and it’s time to get them done. Since Menards is self-serve we rarely have anybody offer to help us and last night was no exception. I’m sure those young male workers got a kick out of watching a 51 year old overweight lady help load up the trailer with 10′ pieces of lumber, 40 pound bags of sand and 53 landscaping blocks. By the time we were done I was dripping with sweat and could hardly move – now that is a workout! And yes, the trailer is sitting beside another project for this summer – one of two buildings that have to come down. The work just never ends!
I ran out to Harper’s Corner, the local Amish greenhouse that opened up last year, to pick up a bag of potting soil. They have potting soil at the best price in town. I love this little greenhouse – they called it Harper’s Corner because they live down the road from Harper’s Corner – the farm where Bill Harper’s lived for years. Now his grandson lives there. Bill was my first 4-H leader and such a great guy. He always had a smile on his face. I think everybody in town knew Bill. It’s the perfect name! I did bring home a 40 pound bad of potting soil but I also came home with this planter. I just couldn’t pass it up – it’s recycled and it’s chicken related and it’s filled with Hens and Chicks. It just had to come home with me!
