20 posts tagged “house”

Argh. The water main coming off of the city meter is leaking yet again. The plumber came out around two weeks ago and re-crimped the connection which seemed to work at the time, but this evening while I was out in the yard (again) I noticed that it was once again sopping wet around the meter box. And seeing as how it was not that way this morning while I was out working in that area it looks like the plumber will have to come back out. I did check, and it isn't leaking fast enough to be turning the meter which is good. I sent another email to the builder and will call them tomorrow afternoon if I haven't heard back from them by then.

The city has let up slightly on the water restrictions. For the time being I am now allowed to water my lawn on Thursdays (even number homes Thurs...odd are some other day of the week) and I can wash my car on Fridays. 

Everything that I purchased for the yard, thus far, has been planted...three maples (Autumn Blaze), six crape myrtles (Acoma), three glossy abelia (Edward Goucher), and a euonomous (Greenspire). Most the holes we alright to dig - comparatively speaking. Two of the maples ended up in places where I was simply able to dig a hole. There are areas with a TON of rocks in the clay. The clay itself is heavy, but wasn't too terrible to dig in.

I had wanted to try to save the half-dead maple that was originally in the front (planted by the builder), but as we were digging it up the trunk snapped and we saw that it was rotting through the middle - hence the dead tree mess at the end of the driveway. We have a yard waste truck that comes on trash day that mulches leaves, branches, etc. Along the lot line there on the right are five of the crape myrtles. They are also very fast growing so in another year or two they should offer a nice screen between my house and the neighbor's driveway (which is currently the view I have from my bedroom and dining room). 

Front yard

The oak tree in the back yard was completely dead...it hadn't even rooted itself in so I essentially yanked it right out of the hole by its trunk. The maple that replaced it ended up getting moved a bit farther back from the house and more to the left (when looking out the back door). The old tree was just too close to the house and in a strange spot in the yard. One of the crape myrtles went by the back of the house so it will help shade the patio in the evenings and will be able to be seen out the kitchen nook windows. One abelia went by the front lot corner on the right (near the mailbox) and the other two went on either side of the guest bedroom window...someday when they grow in, they will offer very pretty flowers and some screening so there is some privacy in that room even with the blinds open.

My last project to finish up is replacing all the old pine straw in front of the windows with red rock. Then I am going to tackle some additional hardscaping...I am going to extend my back patio out to each side with paving stones so that the grill can be moved away from the living room windows and there will be more room to sit and relax out there. Once that is done I will be designing and edging all of the planting bed areas and filling them with red rock too. Generally speaking, they will be around the edges of the yard and around the trees.

Front - window bed

Still no Clyde. With each day that passes I am more and more sure that a wild animal got him. Last night there was a small (I think young by the way it acted) opossum on my patio. It made me wonder if maybe Clyde got into it with the mommy possum. Now, I also have to find a different place for the outside kitty food since obviously that is what this one was looking for. (It had been moved up onto the patio table yesterday so it wouldn't get contaminated while the exterminator sprayed the foundation.) I did talk to neighbors as well as the office here and put up some fliers...lots of the neighbors recognized his photo and mentioned what a sweet kitty he is and said they would keep an eye out for him, but hadn't seen him in awhile.

Aside from that I flung poop today - it desperately needed doing. The yard was getting gross due to crappy weather lately. After that I made my first hike down the hill. I have no finally set foot on all of my land. Heh. It is lovely down below with relatively easy access to the creek that runs through back there. The hill itself is rather steep and somewhat tough to get back up (then again, I am also horribly out of shape)...but I think if I work at it, over time I can create a stair/path that will make climbing back to the top easier. I also scouted out the gully area that I am going to clear out and replant with wildflowers. I don't think it will be too tough to do, actually. There is just one area that has some washout issues that I am going to have to ponder. It looks like I will probably need to build some sort of retaining wall. I wonder when Dad is planning on coming back to visit? Ha-ha!

Now I need to go change my clothes since I am covered in little sticker bush burr things and find something for lunch. Then I think I might watch a movie...I am exhausted. Marly, Sadie and Bandit were all antsy last night and made sleep hard to get.

P.S. Bandit is doing just fine...he is a little timid jumping, but otherwise surgery doesn't seem to have bothered him in the least. (He got neutered and micro-chipped yesterday.) 

These are not resolutions because I already know that there is no guarantee that any of them will be accomplished to the degree that I would like this year, though I do hold hope for several of them...extenuating circumstances (life) is already destined to get in the way, particularly in the budget department.

HOUSE PROJECTS:

1. Painting - I do hold hope for this one because it is one that has already remained unfinished for most of 2007. Even if it takes me all year, I will complete all my unfinished rooms. Once they are complete, I will then move onto the rooms that have not yet been started.

• guest room (touch up patched areas)
• guest bathroom (touch up patched areas)
• office (paint ceiling, touch-up walls)
• dining room (third coat)
• master bathroom (paint)
• master bedroom - stain dresser (painting is done)
• entryway/hallway (touch-up patched areas)
• living room (paint)
• kitchen (paint)

2. Landscaping - This one I hold less hope for because of #1. The painting and interior takes priority...if I have time here and there I will work on small chunks of the yard. The only 'must do' for this project is to get the maples planted toward the end of Feb to mid-March (depending on weather). The yard and the house needs the shade as soon as possible and even the quick growing maples will take several years to produce enough to make a difference. Also, I am aiming to get a path of sorts cut through the brush down the hill to gain access to the creek that runs down there. If i get really lucky in February and March, I also hope to get the weed insanity under control in the gully along the fenced part of the property line...it will keep my neighbors happy and will make it much easier for me once I do get the time to work on some real landscaping.

• maples (plant)
• path (clear)
• gully (clear, remove builder's errosion fence)
• patio (install minimum of grill area, expand entire patio)

3. Garage - If I can find the necessary help and fundage, I hope to get the garage insulated. Ideally, I would like to get it drywalled too, but that would be a project I would hire out...along with the installation of at least two more sets of electrical outlets.

• insulate (DIY w/ help)
• drywall (have installed)
• electrical outlets (have installed)

PERSONAL PROJECTS:

4. Photography - Neil has agreed to work with me on a 52 week project (instead of a 366 day one). It is much more realistic for my current schedule (and his). I intend to add to this a monthly "Day in Life" (DIL idea stolen from my Vox and Flickr friend, Amanda). I am sure there will be other random batches of photos since I intend to seriously continue working on my photography skills, but I am not scheduling any of them.

5. Cooking - I am going to make a concerted effort to cook at least one real meal a week. No promises that it will always happen, but I enjoy cooking immensely and am hoping that by getting back into it, that it will offer some relief from the stress that is ahead with travel and work.

6. Health/Animals/Sanity - I am going to try to get out with the dogs for a daily walk (each day that I am actually home)...no less than 20 minutes aiming for 45 minutes to an hour. The dogs really need it in addition to our  daily play sessions (which are many!) and I need it. I am not making any real weight loss goals, but I am hoping that between the daily walking and cooking for myself more often that it will have some positive effect in that area as well. This, however, is going to be a real challenge in the summer - I have a hard time tolerating the heat and humidity here (as des Sadie...we'll see how Marly does, though she is already showing major signs of being a water dog which will help her immensely), so we'll see how it goes.

I guess that about covers it. Wish me luck...  

Marly was three months old yesterday. I am going to try to get a good photo of her today. Right now we are working on the 'sit' command along with 'stay'. We are also working on staying out of the kitchen. She does pretty well with all of them when I can get her attention. Yesterday I learned yet another valuable lesson in not paying enough attention to what she is doing when she is loose in the house. She got a hold of a loose corner of carpet in the entry way and pulled it up. Luckily there wasn't too much actual damage, but she frayed it enough that the carpet no longer reaches the tack strip to hold it down there. So, it looks like the carpet will be replaced in the next year or so (once she is through this "puppy" stage) and until then I am going to have to be really careful when I vacuum that area. The good news is that I was seriously contemplating tiling the entry, dining room, living room, and kitchen anyway, along with both bathrooms and the laundry room. A huge job? Yes! Worth it in the long run for durability and ease of cleaning with two dogs and two cats running around? Absolutely!

And speaking of house projects...I bought eight Leyland Cypress today that will go in two groups (I think) along the back part of my lot. They grow extremely fast and will make nice screens so that in a couple years the backyard will have much more privacy from the neighbors that are up the hill from us and look directly into our yard. Eventually the cypress will get to somewhere around 50' tall...but that is a ways off even with how fast they grow. I couldn't find the red maples I wanted. I will check the big nursery in town next weekend. Otherwise, they may have to wait until spring time.

Yesterday Neil and I participated in the fall session for PhotoWILD! 2008. Apparently they are doing the regular spring session as well toward the end of April...we may do that one too. All entrants can submit photos for the contest next May. In my free time (what's that?) I will be sorting through the photos I took and posting them to Flickr. I am sure some will make it here as well, but if you are interested in seeing the bulk of them, head over there.

Clyde's little adventure doesn't seem to have deterred him much from his desire to go outside...though, he isn't quite as pushy about it all as he was previously, but he is still right there at the door every time I take the pups out. Naughty kitty!

Not much else happening. I will be in Knoxville a couple days next week. Other than that, just trying to get back on track with getting some projects completed around here. 

So, I have learned that it doesn't matter how late we are all up the night before...when 6am rolls around, it is time to get up. *sigh* Marly is definitely on a schedule now - I just wish it was one that let me sleep in a little later. Maybe when she is older, but it looks like for now, I will be catching weekend naps whenever I can.

We were up until midnight last night (watching some dumb movie on TV)...she did her normal 5 hour mark potty break which is normal any night no matter when we go to bed. The problem last night is that the 5 hour mark was at 5am. 6am comes pretty fast after that.

So, now, I am working on making a lot of coffee. Today I will trying to tackle the office here - there are papers to be sorted through and shredded, books to be boxed up and taken to a used book store, and general cleaning that needs to be done. Maybe I will get a load of laundry or two done today as well.

This week (actually the past two or three) have felt like just one thing after another...small annoyances, big problems, and everything in-between. I think this afternoon might be the final straw, though. There have been signs (and orange trucks) all around our sub-division all week doing warning of "utility work" that has been going on. So it was only a mild surprise when this afternoon I opened my garage door to find them digging a huge hole in my yard in front of the electrical box. No biggie, probably upgrading something or other. Right?

Heh. Right. When I got back from running errands there was a huge street light pole installed in my front yard.

I am pissed. Livid. About ready to explode.

I have lived here over a year...many folks toward the front portion of the neighborhood have been here for several years. I was NEVER told that there might even be the possibility that street lights would be installed. And there was no notice given that that is what was happening now.

The pole is horrendous looking and I can only imagine how annoying it is going to be having a street light on all night right outside my home. Fortunately, there aren't any windows over there - it will affect my neighbors more since they look right out on it. I feel bad for them. Something like this also does a number on property value...I don't care how much a Realtor might play of the "safety" factor, the fact remains that it is an eye-sore.

Argh. What ELSE can happen this week? Or dare I even ask that question?

And the stupid homeowner's association is worried about what kind of fence I want to install...what I want to know is who the hell approved these obnoxious lights???

Between the red tape surrounding getting the fence approved and this new pole, unfortuantely the fence is getting put on hold yet again. The money I had set aside for it will be going to some extensive landscaping - there will be something tall planted near that dumb pole, I can tell you that right now! And I suppose I will invest in shrubbery to make "natural" fencing that doesn't need approval.

I had previously posted about the nasty-gram I got from my HOA regarding my out of control lawn (if you can really call it that...it was more like the out of control weeds that when cut, look like a lawn...sort of...they are short and green and in the area that is meant to be my lawn) which resulted in the great lawn-care provider hunt.

Well, dear readers, the hunt has ended. A very nice, and reasonably priced, gentleman came by last week to take a look at things and said he'd be back Tuesday to check things again and "knock 'em down" if needed. As promised, he was here this morning zipping around the yard on his riding mower - "knockin' 'em down". He then hit all the areas that I had asked him to with the weed eater/edger and blew the excess off the drive...then like that, poof, he was gone.

The yard looks fabulous! Well, as fabulous as a dead, brown, dust-bowl can look. At least it looks well groomed. Now, if it would ever cool off a bit, I would actually feed and water the lawn (which, for the record, I do not mind doing).

Live and learn...I knew I wasn't much of a regular maintenance sort of person when it came to yard work...but I love to water the plants and do the landscaping part of it all...planting, even weeding I don't mind. But the mowing - especially in this heat? No way, Jose!

I am pleased. I am sure all my neighbors are (and will be) pleased. And now I can move on to working on/worrying about other projects around here...just as soon as this wedding thing is over and done with and I have some money to my name again!