Dear America

Dear America,
I hate to break it to you, but...
Leggings are not pants.
Tattoos are not shirts.
Please. Just. STOP.

Patio before and afters

The before pictures were taken last summer while I was still waiting for B of A to come down out of their lofty towers and approve my humble request to purchase this home for a certain amount of money.

So, we didn't own it yet and we sort of snuck in.  Only my realtor knows (well, and now you), but we won't tell how.

Looking out my bedroom door before...

...and after.

The famous Abster before...

...and after.

The really sad strip of grass before...

...and after.  Still working on getting some seeds to grow there and fill in the bare spots.

The gross "side yard" with the gap under the fence the size of our dog.
How convenient for him.

Side yard after- with some plants and 400 pounds of red lava rock.
No more gaps and no digging either because the lava rock hurts his paws.  Ha.
The metal can holds birdseed and grass seed.

Look at the gap under the gate!  That is where he escaped the first night we lived here!

Now there is a paver walkway under the gate and no way for the dog to squeeze under or dig.  It's so much neater and cleaner than before.  Not sure why they didn't build the houses with walkways under the fences.

Of course, furniture and plants help it look cozy.

The license plates are from every place I lived growing up.

First container is herbs, second is peas and carrots, third is little pumpkins, and the last one is my boxwood, George.
I tell ya, George is thriving here.  I have never seen him healthier or happier.

Won't you be my neighbor?

View from the far corner.

I wasn't sure how I would like living without a traditional backyard.  I love it.  It is big enough for 6 or 7 people to have dinner outside, and small enough to organize and clean and decorate on a budget.  It is perfect.  Happy happy!

So ready...

So ready for summer.  Been waging war against Coldzilla for 12 days, also trying to get finals graded, grades entered, classroom cleaned and tidied, etc, etc, etc.  It isn't easy when my head feels like it has been stuffed with cotton.  Can't hear, can't smell, can't taste anything, can't talk without coughing.  Blech.

So ready to feel real again.

So ready to turn off the alarm clock.

So ready to have breakfast on the patio in a leisurely manner.

So ready for a bit of sunshine.

So ready to get caught up with laundry, grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc.

Wanna see my latest project?  I did this way before Coldzilla, but haven't really had time to post it yet.

This is a table I bought from Salvation Army about 25 years ago for $20.  It was just your basic wood table- stained dark brown.  I used it like that for a bit and then I moved and snazzed it up for my new house.  I painted the legs red and the top black- with a red and black checkerboard.  It was very Mary Engelbreit.

Then I moved and I decided on a more subtle color scheme- the one you see here- all black with a black and creme checkerboard on top.  The drawer held all the checker and chess pieces.  It was very convenient when kiddo and I got the urge to play.

Then I moved again, and there is really no room for the table in my house.  So I found room outside!

I painted the body bright blue, put wheels and towel holders and hooks on it, and put a sheet of metal over the top.  I had everything except the paint and the sheet of metal, so it only cost me about $30 to transform it into an outdoor table for my small gas grill.  The drawer now holds matches.

This is the view from the shared courtyard.  The wicker chairs usually go opposite the pew, and the coffee table is in the process of getting sanded and painted.  Orange, I think.  

The planters were all planted at this stage, but there was no growth (other than my boxwood, George, on the far left).  You should see them now- the peas are about 18 inches tall!

This bush is on the berm in the shared courtyard and it faces my patio.  I like it but I have no idea what kind of flowers these are.  Anyone?  Anyone??  Bueller????