Monday, March 12, 2012

MY FUNNY CAT; MY ST. FRANCIS BROKEN POTTERY GARDEN; A CLOSE CALL

I spent  some time and effort, not a lot of money, though, on this storage cart. The pretty fabric on top has been hidden by an old red towel. Tommy has taken over the little "window seat." So it has to be protected from cat hair. I think we got this towel when we married. Or it's one of Mama Nick's. It's old, nevertheless.

Charlotte gave me some herbs and I dug in the gravel in my rock garden and planted them. I think this whole small hill top is covered with the leftover gravel and cement clots from when the house was built. It isn't easy to dig around the yard. And there are lots of roots. But here is my funny little St. Francis Garden, bordered with rocks, broken pottery and china. Teri's little ceramic frogs sit on a rock to the left of the guardian of small animals.

The SF Garden, before and after.

May, 2011


Today.





The woods get deeper and less tangled. Paul is working his way back probably to the property line. It looks so pretty there, with pathways among the trees. When it's been filled in more and remains dryer, I'll sow some flower seeds and plant some shrubs or bulbs. I'm so glad he enjoys doing this. So many positive comments from folks who see the yard. He has really worked hard. He's back there to the left, in his red sweatshirt.

Today.


Last May, just before we moved in July ~ The trees had leafed out, so it's a little difficult to tell a lot of difference, but the depth of the yard has increased a lot. The little dog house to the left (below) has been removed and so have all those vines.

May, 2011.

Today we had a very close call... I was at mission meeting and remembered I'd begun some beans to boil (intending to turn them off when I left the house), and texted Paul to turn them off; I managed not to show my alarm to the other ladies.  "It's too late," he sent back, and my heart raced! "I heard the smoke alarm from the woods and the den was full of smoke. All under control, though." Nothing burned except the pan. And the beans. Thank God Paul was home. Thank God for smoke alarms. Thank God Paul heard it! Just Thank God! I was distracted and trying to be discreet with my phone in my lap; I don't think I disturbed anyone. I left immediately after the meeting to go home and just see. All was well and I was so very thankful. Paul had talked to Lynn in the meantime, and he said to sit coffee grounds around to absorb the odor.

I drove back to town, to Walmart. This was a "Last Time I Will Ever DoThis" day.  No. One - Do Not Cook Unless I Am Standing At The Stove. No. Two - Do Not Buy Canned Staples Alone At Walmart Ever Again. I guess the stress from the close call, being tired, and it being past lunch-time got to me. I was shaky as a leaf, wiped out, had intended to stop for gas, but just drove straight on home. When I ever do buy gas it will be $80 I'm sure. If I buy it at one-quarter empty, it doesn't seem so bad.

A representative from Sears came and measured the windows for an estimate. New windows - that's not gonna happen. The windows would cost more than flooring!  And we do have a lot of windows. Paul just did it on the spur of the moment when he called about the warranty on his riding mower. Some panes do need to be replaced where the seal has broken and there is moisture between the double panes, but we can buy a lot of glass for the cost of replacement windows! :) They really are not in bad shape - all the frames are good, but all the screens need to be replaced. The sills need sanded and varnished and I think I can do that with low VCO (VOC?) varnish and raised windows.

Tomorrow the lumber company is supposed to deliver lumber and Paul can go from lumbering to carpentry.  He's so handy!


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