I’m currently sitting at my computer with painful shin splits, which means that the steps I need to get down and out of the house and I are not on speaking terms right now… not that I usually talk to my stairs, but… meh… my legs hurt and I don’t feel like coming up with a more clever way to describe that right now. I’m sorry.
All I need is a little R&R, but the softball doubleheader that caused the aforementioned injury has me walking in a way where I feel old and look constipated, so I’m generally acting a little more Danny Glover than usual.
And even though it also feels like my to-do list is longer this month than last, I still have some new (albeit far more boring than squirrel fights) house progress to report. So let’s start with the exterior! Overuse of exclamation points to make it seem exciting!
First: new shrubs! Last year, I took out some of the older shrubs near the front windows that I thought were too far gone to really “work” anymore. They were a different variety than the holly nearby, and the growing patterns between the two types often resulted in big, empty bald patches when I sporadically neglectfully got around to trimming each hedge. So to keep things equally shiny and green across the board, the new shrubs will more closely match the existing ones and will hopefully fill in nicely over time. Mulching, on the other hand… haven’t really convinced myself to do that yet. Even though there are far fewer trees in the yard, pine straw will begin wafting over from other neighbors soon enough, so I’ll probably address it then.
Second: other new shrubs! As part of the huge clearance-inspired planting from September, I also bought another one of the lovely-colored shrubs that have grown so nicely and (more importantly) low-maintenance in the garden bed since moving in. It’s now planted in the bare spot on the left side of the front porch where there should be more visual balance to the three on the right, along with some purple phlox (that nearly died but is quickly bouncing back and hopefully getting established before cold temps settle in). The shrub, which I forget the name of again (it’s hell getting old… or just feeling old, as we’ve established), grows fast and changes color (bright green, green with red tips, pale green with white flowers, etc.).
So basically, everything should all look more cohesive in the spring.
Third: Fewer tree limbs! I mentioned in last week’s post that a tree in my front yard had branches too close to the roof (for reasons that I won’t dwell on because it requires thinking about a certain bitchy rodent). I trimmed the closest ones since then (and will have a DIY tutorial to share on it), and all is right with the whole tree-to-roof (or lack thereof) situation.
So basically… f*ck you, squirrel.
Fourth: Lawn guy! I think I may have found a local guy to maintain the yard and won’t cost me a fortune. He’s knowledgeable and does all the parts that are a huge pain (such as all of it), so I may have finally reached a break even point between my willingness to do the labor and my uncompromising frugality. Crossing my fingers on this one, but so far so good. One less thing on my plate and my yard looks snappier and trimmed up for pictures. Win-win.
Finally: Trim painting! while I haven’t done a lot of it yet, the amount I have tackled in the last few days is already making the chimney and view from the curb more complete. I’ve got the extended ladder propped up outside, so as soon as these shins start working properly again, more portions will be done.
Not bad for a busy week, but there’s still more to come very soon: the basics of how to trim tall trees (what you need to know), and the first peek at all the new paint and molding in the kitchen!
The post Cranky Chick Outdoor Updates appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.
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