It’s been a month and a half since I last updated the blog because there really wasn’t much progress to report. Between a busy work schedule and my kid’s sports, I haven’t had much time to work on the house and when I’ve had time, I haven’t had the energy. Besides, the next big expenditure will be for the hot water heat upgrade, and I am just not in a hurry to plunge further into debt. However, there are two things giving me the kick in the pants that I need to start digging in again: an opening in my work schedule, and the impending return of the in-laws in 4 weeks.
“Washing winter off of the house”
About a month ago, I made a gallant attempt at spring cleaning and got as far as the master bedroom. Unfortunately, the master bedroom was only the second room I cleaned, and I stopped short of finishing it. Mind you, a big reason for the delay was waiting for SWMBO to organize some of her stuff. Over the next couple of weeks, I intend to finish spring cleaning (hopefully while it is still spring).
Lots of landscaping
Each year, I try to improve the appearance of our property by reclaiming our yards from overgrown weeds and shrubs. The last of the shrubs will be coming out before July. A couple of the shrubs in question are lilac bushes which are not a lot of fun to dig out, as I learned today. Next year, we can start re-landscaping, preferably with native plants that will be easy to care for.
Getting ready for the heating system plumbing
The basement is a disaster area. I must focus my energy on getting the basement to a state where it will be safe for the plumbers to work on the pipes for the hot water heat. I also need to clean up the second floor so that it will be ready for the new rads. Once the rads are in, I want to install the hardwood flooring so that we can start using the bedrooms as living space. I want to get the flooring down no later than mid-July, so the in-laws will have use of the space.
And the list goes on
I’ll try to keep the blog up to date as I go forward with this Spring Offensive. I basically have an itemized list of projects that will require 28 days to complete (June). Once all the items are checked off AND the heating system is done, I will have a new list for finishing the bedrooms upstairs (trim, doors, etc.– July). Then I will take a break for a while as we try to work our way out of the newly accumulated debt. What fun!
DAY 1: Off to a good start
In the middle of our backyard was a garden area comprised of a large lilac and a cedar bush. Both are now part of the municipal compost heap. I spent about 4 hours digging the shrubs out and filled 7 yard waste bags in the process. For now, that area will be seeded, but next year we’ll either plant a new flower garden or a tree there.
