How I’m Connecting Two Decks With Landscaping
This spring we’ve been working on connecting two decks on the back of our house with landscaping. We’d rather just connect the two decks and make one gigantic deck, but someone forgot to plant a money tree in the backyard. Decks are expensive to build and maintain and this house needs one hundred other things before it needs a bigger deck. Until that day comes we can try to visually connect the decks with landscaping instead. Think of it as a bridge between two islands. Here’s a picture from three years ago when we moved into the Colonial Farmhouse. You can hardly see the small deck on the right because…
I Successfully Overwintered Our Porch Plants
I hope I don’t jinx it by saying I successfully overwintered our front porch plants which included the ferns and the Spike plants. But I did! For those of you who enjoy gardening and consider it one of your life passions this will seem like not a big deal. To me, it was a big deal to keep my summer plants alive all winter long because I’d never tried to save my front porch plants. Frankly, I’m usually sick and tired of watering them by the time August rolls around and they die a sad death. Then I feel guilty that my neglect caused this catastrophe. But not last summer!…
DIY Plant Hanging Rod Secured to the Ceiling
We recently built a plant hanging rod on our sunporch, so I guess I’m a plant person now? Perhaps I should have ended that sentence more declaratively. I’m a plant person now! Nope. That label still feels more uncomfortable than that time I touched poison ivy. I have some house plants. Not a lot. More than what’s on the barren surface of the moon and less than what’s in a tropical jungle. I also have some outdoor plants that I had the wild idea to try and keep alive over the winter. Three of those outdoor plants are ferns in hanging pots. They really liked hanging on my front porch…
Our Not Quite Fall Front Porch
We have a not quite summer, not quite fall front porch right now. Anyone else feeling like they are sitting on the fence between seasons at this very moment with their decor? No? Just me? You couldn’t even give me a shove either way off the seasonal fence because I like it right where I am at the moment. It’s just so pleasant in New Jersey right now. We can hang out outside without wilting under the intense heat and humidity of summer. It’s not yet sweatshirt weather though with the daytime temperatures still in the 70s. In other words, it is perfect. If New Jersey was always like this,…
2021 Outdoor Project Progress
Do you know what’s great about blogging? There are thousands of people to hold you accountable to what you say you are going to do. That’s also the downside of blogging. Ha! Today I’m updating you on our 2021 outdoor project progress! We’re a good chunk of the way through summer, so let’s hope I’ve made a little progress, right? If you’ve been following along on social media, especially stories, you’ll be familiar with some of this work. If you haven’t been, you’re missing out on the rollercoaster of emotions that is every single project we tackle: excitement, anticipation, regret, hope, relief, excitement, pride, vows to never tackle that project…
How to Calculate the Value of a Tree
Have you ever considered the value of a tree? Before you write this post off as boring, hang with me for just a second. It will be worth your while. I’m not just talking about the value of a tree in terms of what it cost to purchase or in terms of how much money it would bring if harvested. I’m not even talking about the intrinsic value of a tree to a person or community’s social and emotional well-being. I’m talking about the quantifiable value of a tree as it relates to property value, electricity saved, stormwater diverted, and air quality improved. Do I have your attention yet? The…
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Wood Flag Painted on an Old Door
Our Colonial Farmhouse dates back to the 1780s. The small barn on our property isn’t quite that old, but we know it is over 100 years old. On the side of our barn hung a wood flag. Well, what was left of it. The American flag was only recognizable on that strip of wood because that symbol is imprinted on our subconscious. I didn’t hang the wood flag there. I don’t know how long it had been hanging there. Suffice to say, that poor wood flag had seen a storm or two. We actually didn’t realize the American flag was on a wood door until we took the flag down.…
Black and Blue Outdoor Furniture
Our deck is sporting black and blue outdoor furniture. Did that sentence make it sound like our outdoor furniture rumbled after school? While most of our outdoor furniture is second-hand and was in rough shape when I found it, it is looking decidedly better after a little spray paint session. I’ve also done some outdoor furniture switching around in an effort to only keep the things we use. There will be a quiz at the end, so pay attention. To that end, the table in this below picture from October 2020 was set out by the side of the road and now has a new home. It came with the…
2021 Outdoor Projects on our To Do List
This winter I spent an obscene amount of time curled up in a cozy chair drafting an epic list of 2021 Outdoor Projects. While some people find satisfaction in checking completed items off a to-do list, I find satisfaction in having a legitimate reason to never start that list in the first place. Three feet of snow covering the ground as far as the eye can see seems like an excellent excuse to procrastinate. Alas, the snow finally melted and I’m now 99.367% certain it is safe to leave my cozy chair and start working on these outdoor projects. While it might be safe to start outside work, one of the…
Fall Colors in New Jersey 2020
The fall colors in New Jersey brightened my spirits in a plethora of ways this year. 2020 has been a heavy year on so many different fronts. Our new normal doesn’t feel normal. There’s excess noise coming at us from every direction. Even a simple outing requires a complex set of risk/reward calculations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve got out of my car to walk into a store only to turn around because I forgot my mask. It’s exhausting. Oh, and it isn’t over yet. That’s why my daily walks, especially when I can soak in the fall colors in New Jersey, have been my sanity saver. There’s something restorative about being…
