My home is beginning to be a comfortable place, despite a sinking driveway and many DIY projects that went astray due to lack of knowledge or the wherewithal to accomplish them. In this next year, I will endeavor to change those things into positive experiences, and perhaps give my sons a sense of pride in home ownership in the process. There are so many projects that need doing, I thought I would list them so i could prioritize them and plan for their accomplishment. But before I do, I wanted to show some things that I accomplished over the winter.
I completely changed the living room. Now we have comfortable seating, a nice area rug, new curtains, new lamps, a new afghan, and we also refurbished some old end tables that I've had for eons. Here are some pictures of the new setup.
Now... Here is what I would like to accomplish on the outside of the house.
1. The patio needs to be torn up, replaced and covered. I was thinking that I would like this to become an outdoor retreat and a green area that can be used to start plants during cold months. We can hang clear Christmas lights inside it for ambience. Then in the summer, we can sit outside with cold drinks at the glass table and relax, knowing that the bugs can't get us. Neither can storms or snow, on the rare occasions that we see it. Maybe we can rig up a ceiling fan or something to keep the air circulating when it's unbearably hot. Just thinking out loud here. The patio backs up to the patio doors leading to the living room. There are some slats enclosing the door that are weather-worn, so those will need replacing. On the other side of the patio is the garage, in which I have my gym and the workshop. Covering the patio will give me a rain free path to the gym, and will entice me to go there more often. That's my #1 project this year. It's a big one, but one that is well worth tackling.
2. As I mentioned previously, the driveway is sinking. To do it properly, the driveway will need to be broken up in front of the house, graded, and repoured. I would love to do something special there, like including stones that absorb light and glow in the dark, but in this neighborhood, maybe not.
3. I would like to fence in the entire yard with the wrought iron spikes that are becoming more common around the nicer homes. Hey, my home may not be big, but it can at least look nice. And it will keep people off the lawn and away from the bedroom windows.
4. I would like the lawn and landscaping improved. We have a massive oak tree that drinks up most of the nutrients from the soil, so it is hard to keep any kind of grass growing in that area. In recent years, I have been transplanting monkey grass, which seems impossible to kill, so at least there will be something green there, and it will stop the erosion that comes with the monsoon season here.
5. The wood fencing has to be replaced and protected from the elements. I hate the weathered wood look, and always have. I will find something that will stain and seal the wood from the elements, so it will always look nice.
6. The garden needs some work. It needs to be cleaned out, the dirt turned and we need to bring in new dirt and nutrients. The sooner we do this, the better. I'd like to be able to have a nice garden this year.
Those are my outside projects for the year. I have many more for the inside, which will probably take a few more years to accomplish. But for now, I will plan on the good things to come on the exterior of the house, as warm weather is beginning once again. It sure will be nice to have a backyard oasis. I'm looking forward to cookouts that can be served in the green house. In the meantime, I will finish some things that need doing before I can give the outside some attention. It's coming along, and the page is being turned. Here's to the good life!
Nazdrowie'
Paczki Puta
