The House That Jill Built

Not too much knitting going on around here, I've been working on a new-ish project this week. See that - I built that! (Not the deck, a friend and I did that a few years ago - the BRAND NEW railing.) I decided that this year the "room" I was going to fix up was the backyard. Granted, a lot of progress was made when we put the deck in - first on the back of the house and later when we built the platform - by turning two little fenced off yards into one big one, but there were definitely a few things lacking. So I cleaned up the older chairs we had and got ourselves two of those lawnchair La-Z-Boy equivalents (hoo-boy are those nice) and a little dining set with an umbrella (which has been worth every single penny as it saved my head from the most enormous bird poop EVER last Sunday while we were eating breakfast - what the hell did that bird eat?) to inspire us to be outside. THEN I told Sweet Babboo my plans...
Put a railing on the deck
Brace our crappy fence
Paint our crappy fence to look less crappy (there's a lot of crappy fence)
Plant vines on the crappy fence to hide it
Make a patio area where we can barbeque and have one of those fire-pit thingys so we can have pretend bonfires
Plant pretty stuff that the dog can't kill easily (she runs around like a crazed monster, things get trampled back there)

All this while keeping the yard a place where Livi can play and poop.

He only twitched a little. Turns out he likes making stuff or at least starting a project that I finish while he's at work. To be fair, he HAS been working, so I don't really mind because I like doing that stuff too. It is tricky however to balance an 8 foot 2x6 level and screw it onto a post at the same time by yourself. But damn it looks good - check out all of my angly angles - I'm thinking I can build decks if my other job doesn't pick up soon! And yes, I know it's about four different colors. That's what happens when you start a job on Sunday when the lumber yard is closed and have to go to Home Despot to get sub-par wood and return later to the lumber yard. Also, it turns out pressure treated 2x2's, while common in Michigan are NOT common in California. I think they gave me the redwood by mistake, but I wasn't going to a) complain b) go back. Looks like we'll be adding "stain the deck" to the list.

This house is my baby - it's my first one and just the fact that I managed to do that in Northern California is enough to be proud of, but those of you who know me have seen the 'befores" and "afters". I had no idea what I was getting into when I bought an abandoned house (empty for 50 years - yes 50), I also had no idea that I'd find something I loved to do so much. the hardest part is that when I'm ready to move on and try the next one, it means leaving one of the biggest projects of my life - only my career has been worked on for longer. Sometimes we get lucky and life gives us this great balance - saying goodbye and getting ready for something new. No real plans here just yet, but I'm starting to get the itch.

Oh, and if you're wondering - those are MY tools - not the man's. When I say I've done the work on this place, I'VE done the work unless it was dangerous for me not to hire someone - sometimes even that didn't stop me - just ask me about shingling the side of the house someday.... There's a clue there to prove I did it too - can you see them? I mean, what man wears a size small pink work glove? Wells-Lamont - you rock my home demolishing/renovating world!