Update on Home Projects

 

We have completed the painting of the wood trim around the windows at the front of the house. The rocks in the front patio are also finished.

I still need to do some rearranging.

I sewed the split seams on the cushions and sprayed them with outdoor Scotchgard.

I was rearranging the front yard by moving some items from the backyard to the front. After sitting and looking at it for a while, I realized that something needed to return to its original spot. My husband doesn’t understand that; he tends to place things down and leave them where they are.

I found this horseshoe cross that we've had for 17 years, which we bought when we first moved here. Since we live among horse ranches outside our subdivision, and there's a horse veterinarian down the road, it seemed fitting. It was stored in the garage with things piled on top of it. 

So, that's one less thing I had to purchase.

This was in the backyard, above the patio door frame - moved it to go above the front door.

Saved 100%

I had this old postbox for 15 years, so I moved it to a more visible spot in front.   I then bought four sprigs of artificial flowers at Dollar Tree for $1.25 each.

The birdhouse-feeder was given to us by our next-door neighbor, Michael. He didn't want them anymore, so he offered them to us. They were originally made from a fence that separated our yards when the previous neighbor lived there, who built several of these structures. Michael gave us two of them—one for the front yard and one for the back.

The plastic Raven has been with me for decades as well. I love Ravens, and our area is well-known for them; in fact, it’s in the name of our subdivision. I bought this plastic Raven at the 99-cent store. I used Gorilla Wood Glue to secure it on top of the birdhouse.

I love it. 

We encountered a problem when my husband moved the old work table to the side of the house so I could work on it. It had carpenter bees inside the rotting wood, burrowing tunnels into it. These bees are quite large—about the size of an oblong nickel. They are extremely territorial but generally docile unless provoked.

Unfortunately, they continued to return to the front yard, swarming and creating a nuisance.

Carpenter bees are destructive to homes, and we knew we couldn't let them stay. Although we prefer not to kill unless necessary, we decided to buy some foam spray specifically designed for carpenter bees. This foam fills the holes in the table, forcing the bees to leave. 

The next morning, when the group from Teen Challenge arrived, the bees were angry and swarmed around them. It made it difficult for us to enjoy the patio all day yesterday.

I ordered a carpenter bee trap from Amazon. 

From everything I read, the bees will eventually leave if there is no dead or decaying wood present. Today, I noticed no bees around!

Now, there is peace on the patio. 

I decided to cancel the bee trap.

Now this is the next project. When we had the gutters installed, the worker accidentally slopped some glue on the house that I need to scrape off.

The old birdbath was a gift from a good friend of mine, Dominique, who was from Italy and had ordered it directly from there. I had always admired its beauty. Sadly, he passed away from a drug overdose, and his wife gave the birdbath to me. I have carried it with me for 30 years. A few years ago, the pedestal broke, and we kept meaning to find something to prop it up again. We are finally narrowing down our options, so the issue should be resolved soon.

We need to cover the weeds with a weed barrier and then add rocks on top. We'll need to order the rocks, possibly next week; a cubic yard should be sufficient. Then, drip lines and bubblers for potted plants. I repotted the citronella plant, but I'm unsure if it will thrive in its new location.

I secured the birdhouse stake into the roses again. It was blown down in the wind a couple of weeks ago.

It's not yet completely finished, but we're making progress. Knowing me, I'll still be rearranging things until I get it just right. 

I'm happy with it. 

Today, I visited Hobby Lobby and purchased a new rug for the patio and a patriotic wreath for the door, thanks to their 40-50% off sale.  Tomorrow, I plan to hang the flag garland outside in celebration of Flag Day, and it will remain up until the end of July. 

I'm pleased to share that I have a cardiology appointment scheduled for June 25 at 8:45 a.m. This is from the second referral; the first one was with my husband's Cardiologist, but the office never called back.

I'm beat right now. I get up by 5 a.m. so I can get out there, have coffee, and plan the day. About now (4:42 p.m.), I'm running out of gas...

I still have dinner to do: grilled chicken potstickers, Asian-style cabbage slaw, and Chinese garlicky green beans topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, celebrating the Dad's. 

Debby