Sunday, July 21, 2013

Returning to normal

13July21by It’s been a crazy past few months. I’ve gone through three months of major house renovations, just finished two major community events in the past two weeks that committees I sit on hosted, and I start four weeks of vacation on Wednesday. Let me tell you – I NEED it!

13July21patio2 The deck has yet to be completed – or even started. And I’ve given up on the baseboard moulding going up anytime soon, so I’ve been putting the furniture back where it belongs. The moulding might not happen for years. Nor the deck. I gave up on one contractor who was dragging his feet on it and hired another. I thought we had agreed to have it done by the end of this month, this month being JULY – but apparently the present 13July21patio1 contractor had some other month in mind. So I’ve given up on enjoying my favourite vacation past time of sitting on the deck. Until the deck is done, I really don’t have a patio either, since there are no stairs attached to the deck. I have to go out the front door and around to the backyard to get there. Not a huge deal, but it’s an inconvenience. Can’t do it in the dark because there are no lights back there and too many ways to trip while trying to get into the backyard.

13July21firepit Anyway, I’m just whining. I’m tired. The paver guys are mostly finished and the work they’ve done is beautiful. They nearly destroyed the backyard to do it, but it’ll return to life eventually. Now we have a large paved area just off the deck for a patio table and chairs. There is a small area under the fire pit that’s paved, so no more setting the grass on fire! Or sitting on plastic chairs that sink into the soft dirt if it’s been raining. There is also a paved pad for a greenhouse, which Mr. ZQ is planning to build for me. He’s already built two for me in the past, so he’s improving his design! And we finally, after five years, put a sidewalk in the front yard. I started that Allan Block wall in 2008. That took me two years to complete all by itself. Maybe this Fall I can finally plant the lilies and other flowers I want to put i the front yard. The pavers are a 13July21sidewalk beautiful colour when they’re wet. If we decide to seal them, they’ll be more or less this colour all the time. We haven’t had a fire yet since the paving went down – either too busy or too rainy, but I’m looking forward to a few nights around the backyard fire while I’m on vacation.

We aren’t planning on any grand adventures such as we had last year while I’m on holidays. We’re just going to sit around and enjoy what’s been done of the renovations so far. And pick weeds. And work on the deck if the contractor decides to show up.

But I have other plans for my vacation as well… I finally have my sewing machine set up again. It’s been sitting in a corner in a spare bedroom since before the new windows were installed at the end of May! Oh, I’ve missed her. Last week I put her 13July21sm back where I had her. I mended one of my gardening gloves and made a quick cat toy out of a triangle scrap stuffed with some batting. Ginger, bless her little kitty heart, played with it for hours, batting it around the floor and chasing after it. I have no idea where it is now. I didn’t take a picture of it. Sewing a piece of fabric together was good enough. I’ll be spending the first day of my vacation making up for lost time – I’ll be fabric shopping!

Until next time,

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Still goin’

13July7deckblocks We’ve finished more home renos than we have left to do, but there’s still no end in sight. Now that the flooring and the painting (except for the entry way) is finished, I thought I might actually get to put my sewing machine back where I had it, but it’ll be in the way of the only access to the deck if I do that – the last project in the renovations we’ve undertaken this year. So it remains out of the way in the “library”. I can still get to it, but all of my fabric is in boxes and bags in 13July7paverpiles the basement, and my cutting table is in the dining room. I sew want to get back to it! I have a pattern picked out that I’d like to start right away.

New Moon tomorrow at 16 degrees Cancer. When I say tomorrow, I mean about 10 minutes after midnight tonight, Pacific Daylight Time. The only thing affecting it is Mercury, which is only two degrees away from it. Looks like a month of quiet time, using our hands and our brains. Maybe our mouths to talk to close friends and family about how we feel. 13July7patiobefore Cancer rules the 4th House (out of the 12 Houses of the Zodiac) which is the House of home. And my home is my house, so it’s interesting that the New Moon in Cancer should occur at this time (- but it does happen every year around this time) when our home renovations seem like they’re finally coming to an end.

We are quite pleased with how everything had turned out to this point – the new furnace/AC, windows, the new floor, the new colours for the living room, dining room, hallway and entry way. The paving stones are gorgeous, even if the rest of the front and back yards have suffered neglect while the paver guys have been working. Those weeds in the pictures of my backyard? I finally had those well under control. Looks like they’ve got the upper hand again. There is no vegetable garden this 13July7patioafter year, and I have to figure out what to do with that mountain of dirt before planting season next year. I say that the deck is the last of the projects, but actually, I guess the greenhouse is. But that’s a Fall project. Mr. ZQ has already built two greenhouses for me over the years. Third time’s the charm! We’ve never had such a lovely foundation to build it on before. It’ll be great to have a greenhouse again, because the wind that blows through here will kill a tray of tender young seedlings in no time at all.

Until next time,