A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Jobs from the weekend.

Well every year I paint my back steps because cleaning them just doesn't seem to cut it.....they've been brown, and recently cream like the foundation is painted......I did gray for a change and because it was extra paint that mom had leftover. It takes a while to do them because they are getting pitted and you have to really dab that brush down into all the little holes....



I think the biggest job though, that I'd been putting off for a LONG time was cleaning up near my faucet....i had a mini greenhouse there and the shelves were full of gardening junk. Broke garden tools, spray nozzles, old rusty decor, and literally about 30-35 planters...and they were all full....so I had to dump them all out somewhere....so I dumped them in my flowerbeds....I threw out about 8 windowbox planters that were either cracked or faded by the sun, and threw out all of my old seed trays. It was just a mess. You can't even imagine unless you were to have seen it with your own eyes.

For now I just swept it all out and put a few old chairs there for now, the BBQ is really old and is just a nesting haven for yellowjackets. It stays there though because it's connected to the house with a gas line.... I'd like to get rid of it one of these years. I'd like to have Mark build me some kind of shelving there so I have a place to store pots and all of my gardening "junk".

BTW, that window in the bottom picture is actually our basement. Most of the basement is above ground. That's the window to the basement bathroom.

You have been busy!!! It looks good!

Thanks! I mean it's not really the way I want it to be....I'm not a fan of those small plastic chairs---but I threw them there so it didn't look so empty.

It does feel sort of good to have thrown all of that junk out!

And the steps needed 2 coats so they took me 2 days to finish.

By the time we move out of here one day there will be a zillion coats of paint on those stairs.

That is kind of stuff is always a pain to paint! At least it is done though!

That looks awesome, Loz. Painting steps is a real pain. Painting well loved steps is double pain. You did a great job.
The last time any of the outside of my house was painted was about 12 years ago. And even then it was just primer, no paint. But my house is hidden behind a lot of greenery. A lot of people don't even know there is a house here behind all of the trees and shrubs.

It is all looking very good, Miss Loz! I think I really like the grey paint on the stairs. And you are right: it is amazing how much STUFF we can accumulate in and around our homes over the years!



Merme

Thanks all! I like to keep the outside of the house looking nice...paint doesn't cost much--in this case it was free. (thanks mom)

I would've been embarrassed for you guys to see how bad it looked before I cleaned that up....

Loz, what is your house made of?

It's a wood framed house with siding, but the basement section is partially those textured cement blocks, and the really old part is huge old stones....the house is ohhh, I want to say 109 years old...might be 110.

cool. Have you lived there a long time?

I guess this is our 5th year in the house now....yep it would be because I've been a member on here since 5/18/03---I got the internet in this house just before that........

It's not bad for being such an old house.

I grew up across the street so I knew the neighbors that lived in here previously.

5 years, wow !! and to be lucky enough to find a house in your old neighborhood.
That is a mother's dream--I bet your mom was overjoyed.

I think so, not really for the circumstances that I moved back---but who would've ever dreamed I'd live across the street from my parents and the house I grew up in? Not me. Not in a million years. I like it here though.

I'd like to live across the street from my mother.

I live about 6 miles from my Mother and father--so I am good there.

Wish I could say the same about my girls.

The good news is that they live about 5 minutes apart in the same town.

So at least they have each other. :wink:

I think you have said before...but how far are you from your girls, Carol??

I wish I lived across the street from my mom too. I live 20 miles away which isn't terrible I guess but not close enough to run over for lunch or coffee.

Nothing better than being close to your mom! God put me here! Really he did....because we had a house under contract further away, back when I still felt good.....the next day our Realtor called to tell us that it was already under contract. I was so upset at the time but it all turned out for the best.....God knew that I wasn't supposed to be there.

Jessica:
If I use the interstate to get to the furthest one-(Val)-is 28 minutes, and about 26-28 miles. Emily is a very few minutes closer.

If I do not take the interstate but several Rts--and go thru a few small towns it takes 45 minutes.--but hey I can drive it at least. This is far better than before: with having one in Missouri, down several 4-8 lane roads, and one in Chula Vista, Califiornia.

I could run over to my moms but she has a life of her opwn and often does not want to be bothered.--We kids often say she should of NOT had kids.

Loz, I am glad for you that you ended up living so close to your mom.

Loz, I didn't know you feel bad. So sorry.

I live 50 miles from my mother, 16 miles from my oldest and 5 hours from my youngest. My sisters are scattered everywhere.

WOW Sheri, I feel sorry for feeling bad. My distance is nothing compared to yours.

I don't like my youngest daughter living so far away. I'd move across the street from her if Johnny would but his children live about 25 minutes away so he doesn't want to move and my grand children are 16 miles away and he says I'd be unhappy that far away from them. He's probably right.

ya know sheri, I think it would be great if life was the way it used to be--where family's all lived in the same town or at least only just a few miles away. ah well.

i've been reading this as everyone has talked about being close to their mothers. i moved across the country when i was 17 and have only lived in the same town as my mother 3 times for 6 months each since. now, sadly, she is gone. but my daughters each live within 7 miles of me. we do live about 12 hours from my mother in law.

Jiffy:
so sorry you lived so far from your mother, and so sorry she is now gone.

I am however glad that your girls live so close.

me too carol, me too.

My son in law, Chris, is from Delaware. He is an only child and I think his parents are very nice. Ginger told me last week that Chris moved away when he was 18 and has never lived with them again. They visit Delaware a couple times a year and his parents may visit them once a year and that's it. I talk to Ginger sometimes 3 times a day but she says Chris talks to his parents maybe twice a month. I find that odd. His parents have beaucoup money. I'm not sure if they paid for his college or not but he has a masters degree. I can't imagine that he worked his way through all that college.

Some peole are just not that close it seems, Sheri. My DH's family is sometimes, and sometimes they are not----

As an ecample, awhile back my DH and his mom were on te phone and I hear that they were not "going to bother" Judy (the brother's wife) and call after the surgery.--

In MY family we would be on the phone, immediately after the surgery if not actually be there.--

The brother lives in Ohio, but, still in my opinion calling was certainly caled for. Luckily 'Judy' called my MIL later in the evening, and no it was not arranged to go that way.

Then I had to tell my DH he should call and speak to his DB when he got home---it had not entered his mind--some people just have a different idea what makes a good family I guess.

Sheri, I am more like you, or try to be. Both my DD's work all day, But I can IM the one, and so that helps. And there is still the evening. Not to mention they often call me on the way to work.

Carol, I'd love to see a picture of your girls.

sure Loz, let me find a picture or 2 and I will post them ASAP.--there should be some in my photobucket-----

I want to see too.

me three

me four

Ok for now this is some pictures I have of my daughters.
I will try to get better pictures one day soon.

above is Emily in the orange, and Valarie in the shorts
(that is JJ ...(Val's DH) in the backround.



This is a better picture of Emily and her husband Chris

I had a close up of Valarie taken the same day as Emily's here, but she was half asleep--so I did not post it.




This is a not too good picture of Valarie in the powder blue shirt, and Emily in the green shirt--both are on the right side. The 2 girls in the left side are their cousins. Girls in the middle are friends of my niece in the maroon.

Thank you Carol, they are both very pretty and now I can put a face to a name when you mention them!

BTW, whose backyard is that?

Thank you for the compliment on my girls, Loz.

That is my back yard----perhaps you remember?? the boys made my flower bed bigger, and then the girls planted my flowers for me???

it was a great day.

good looking kids, don't mind looking a second time one bit!

Jiffy you are too kind.