Colliding Worlds

All my nicely compartmentalized little worlds collided a few days ago. I'm rolling just fine with the resulting aftermath. Having a solid home-base to ground me makes all the difference in the world.

I must find a way to wind up my bookkeeping job in a manner which appeases my desire to keep things out of "clouds" as much as it consoles my preference to find a way to do what I can from home. What needs to be done will be done and when it's done, my commitment to my bookkeeping job will be 100% complete. I'm keeping my eyes on the prize. It will be done.

While making a brief pit stop at my other home away from home, I noticed the furnace fan racing. After a few checks, balances and inquiries, I turned off the breaker to the furnace and called the phone number left behind by a company who had serviced the furnace in the past. An appointment was arranged for the next morning and I left it in my daughter's capable hands. 

Yesterday, as I was dealing with my shortened morning hours, due to the fact I was working at the job where I leave the house an hour earlier than usual, all these dynamics were coming at me as I was contending to the obligation of showing up for work. Meanwhile, my home was looking a little like a construction zone as the living room window project was in its final stages.

An early morning email suggested an option to hand deliver this bookkeeping file after work. My instinct was to just say "yes" to a very inconvenient meeting. I would have had to pick up a flash drive as I walked home from work, travel for three hours of and miss the possibility of touching base with my son as the window project was drawing to a close. 

Wait a moment. I didn't have to decide in that moment and completely upend my day. I decided to have a bath and let things sink in. "I have been trying to find a way to make this work as I prepare to run out the door to go to work and I just don't think tonight will work for me", was my final answer. 

It's a long weekend and no one needs to be in a panic about this transfer of information immediately. Least of all? Me. 

Then came the furnace/air conditioner situation. The diagnosis? A new air conditioner unit. Thankfully a split second decision didn't have to be made. We'll sit on that for a moment and see what options are available.

Pause. Just pause. 

Due to the fact I was wise enough to simply take a breath before leaping a decision that would have ruined my day, I came home to find my son almost ready to paint the new window-wall.

We chatted easily while I watched him paint (terrible of me, I know) and he made the comment the house would be ready for my sister's inspection visit this weekend. When he found out I was going to be on my own, he offered (or did I ask?) to move the couch and carpet back to where it was before this all started. I rearranged the remaining furnishings last night, puttered a little bit this morning and here is the end result:

All that's left is to wash the windows, hang the new blinds and re-side the front of the house. The inside renos are complete. 

When the outside world is impacting your peace of mind, it's comforting to have a soft place to land. A place that grounds you.

When I felt all my worlds colliding, all was well within my world when I settled in at the end of the day. There's no place like home.

Manifesting

I was listening to Chris Sullivan (Toby - from "This is Us") speak on his experience with writing Morning Pages, as he went through the 12 week process with the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. His morning pages led him to listening to his inner voice which, a step at a time, led him to "This is Us" and his present day life.

As I struggled through my own Morning Pages this morning, they consisted of little more than to-do-lists and a list of things I wanted to remember. I write lists on the margins of my pages and flip back to those pages to check my progress.

Lately, my thoughts have been consumed with the hopes and dreams I wrote about within those Morning Pages throughout the winter. I wished for little more than a shed, new bedroom/living room windows and a solar powered bird bath.

One by one, my wishes are coming true. Does it count if it is my son who is manifesting these dreams on my behalf? I'm not quite sure...

Here are pictures of yesterday's manifestation process:

Noon

↑ Supper time↓

I don't know whether to thank Julia Cameron and her Morning Pages ritual? Or my son? 

My son gets all the credit for this.

Thank you for manifesting my dreams for me!

Before

I'm living in a bit of a construction zone at the moment:

New living room windows are on the docket for today...

This is the "before" (but after my new bedroom window):

Things will look much different around here after today.

Wishes are Coming True

My hopes and dreams list is being attended to very nicely. Wishes are coming true:

Complete!

Unfortunately the shed package was not an ideal building solution. Frustrations and challenges galore. My son persevered, despite it all. And it is done.

The next item on my wish list? A new bedroom window:

Perfect!

Some finishing touches left to tend but it's well on its way. It is bigger than the previous window and it has a screen (I broke the screen on the previous window) so I will be able to open my window to let the cool evening air in. Wonderful!!

The best part of this reno-so-far, is I had to sleep in my favorite-room-in-the-house last night:

I adore this cozy little room.

It felt like coming home again.

Good things are happening here!!

Dare I hope for more? Time will tell ...

Valuing What We Already Have

This morning, I had a fleeting memory of a friend from long ago. She was a single mom. She wanted the best for her child. We worked together in a financial institution. She was fired when it was discovered she forged a withdrawal from an inactive bank account. We never spoke of this indiscretion but remained friends afterward.

The last time I visited with her, she was married and living "the good life" in a beautiful new house with no financial worries. It would appear she had it all. Except I walked away from our visit sensing something amiss. Her eyes weren't happy. There was something missing that money couldn't buy.

I'll never know what became of her. We lost touch and went on to live our own lives.

I have no idea why that memory surfaced this morning. The feeling I had when I walked away from that visit where everything looked perfect on the outside. I remember thinking "money can't buy happiness" and the look in those eyes are a reminder to this day.

If I have one trait I am willing to commend myself on, I would say it is the lack of envy. I don't want what others have. I don't look at material wealth, belongings, relationships, careers, vacations, physical attributes and feel jealous. I appreciate what others have but know if I want things differently for myself, I must do the work to get there.

Living a comfortable life, where I have the ability to pay the bills to keep a roof over our head, food and fuel to sustain us and an income that provides for day-to-day living is a blessing. 

It goes without saying that harmony within that very home, healthy relationships and physical/mental health and mobility top my list gratitude list.

But I am my mother's daughter. Once those creature comforts are met and sustained, my home and how I feel in it and about it tops my priority list, as far as material desires and wishes. 

Our home renovations a few years ago were a time of great joy. Spiffing up what we had with new flooring, doors, light fixtures, window coverings and new paint felt like more of a revival than a renovation. We carried that maintenance outside and our home felt loved again.

I didn't buy new furniture, pictures or accessories of any kind (well, I did buy a new soap dispenser, a red hand towel and oven mitts for the kitchen). I didn't need to go hog wild. I just wanted to maintain what we had and everything else was good enough. At least until the cats die. Then it is my mission to buy new living room furniture.

I feel very much the same way when it comes to this new little home-away-from-home I've adopted. I gaze across the street and see lovely newer homes with well maintained yards. I don't want what they have. I want what we already own to reflect a certain pride of ownership. Just spiff things up, clean and maintain what we have then just dream of future plans that reflect what we hope for. 

I don't envy those who have what I don't have. But I can't wait to wander aimlessly through the streets to see what others have done with their yards and see what ideas we can borrow from others. 

But there is something I must confess. I do have a pretty strong case of "laundry room envy". I look at other people's clean, functional laundry rooms with cool features like flooring, actual finished ceilings and a clean organized space to hang and fold laundry ... and I am envious.

I know I have nothing to complain about. Our laundry room has come a long way. The washer and dryer actually sit beside each other now (instead of across the room). We have a wall of shelving to die for. There is room within the laundry room to house our furnace, water heater, a spare fridge and all of our cat's needs. All it really needs is flooring, a ceiling and a clean folding space to complete my wish list.

But my home-away-from-home? I am grateful it came with a functioning washer and dryer. We would be lost without that. But beyond that? It's got a long way to go.

As Mike Holmes would say, we must start with the foundation. It's pretty scary in that basement. Creepy may be an apt description. With that new foundation will come the potential for the laundry room I've always wished for. Maybe. I'll still settle for a fully functional washer and dryer. For without those, a beautiful laundry room has no function.

Seeing the value in what we already have is key to feeling "rich". I have everything money can't buy. And I am grateful.

Hard Working Hands

“Silent thoughts hold precious moments that last forever. Probably the most ambitious person that ever lived.” 

♫ These hands raised a family, these hands built a home. These hands won the heart of my loved one and with hers they were never alone. If these hands filled their task then what more could one ask. Take a look at these hard working hands ♫

~ “These Hands” sung by Hank Snow – a special tribute to my dad, from my mom

This is a quote from Mom's family's book of memories. Mom asked me to add this to the book as it was going off to press.

Hard working hands were the words that came to mind as I sat down with my coffee to start my day off with a few words.

After two days of deck cleaning, scrubbing, scraping and sanding the current state of my hands cannot be captured by a cell phone camera alone. I didn't even realize how dirty my nail beds were until I glanced down at them this morning. 

I may not be the ambitious person who ever lived but I have been much more ambitious lately, if that counts for anything.

A before/after photo of one of our decks while the cleaning process is in progress

(this is a much better picture than one of my "hard working hands")

Morning, Noon and Night

In the beginning of re-imagining our home's main floor plan, 

I had a distinct vision of a den, an office and a bedroom 

instead of the original three bedroom layout. 

Many assumed I meant a den/office sharing one space. 

At NO time did I entertain that thought. 

The den and the office serve two completely different purposes. 

My entire demeanor changes when I exit my home office as compared to when I enter the den.

Welcome to my day:

This is my morning view. 

A cup of coffee at my computer as I gaze at my absolutely awesome library. 

My morning perspective is one of ease and curiosity 

to trigger my imagination and intention for the day. 

This is my work-day.

My office is completely self contained and serves its purpose well.

I love that I can close my door on this room and know that only steps away, 

I can refuel and refresh myself to make the most of my day of work at home.

This is my evening. 

The moment all my daily work commitments have been met, 

I climb into my pajamas and turn on the TV to tune out my thoughts.

My days wind down in the same room they start out in.

Mom's white love seat serves two very important purposes:

1. It is very uncomfortable so I rarely, if ever fall asleep while watching TV

2. It is white so the black cat hair shows up very well. As an added bonus, the fabric does not trap the hair so it is quick and easy to vacuum so the cat hair is tended to very regularly.

The downfall of Mom's love seat is that it does instill the desire to settle in with a good book. 

Thank goodness our living room is more than welcoming

(it is also one of the best spots in our home to visit in).

Our third upstairs bedroom is that, and that alone. 
It is a room of rest, relaxation and sleep.

Of all the rooms in our home, this is quite likely the one I spend most of my time in.

The kitchen gets the least of my time. 

It is a convenient place to make coffee, smoothies and heat up frozen entrées.

It's easier to keep clean that way.

Welcome to my day.

Did I mention just how much I adore our home ...

AND my ability to work out of this slice of heaven?

Dream of the world you want to live in.

Draw it.

Save pictures of how you want to imagine it.

Let your thoughts sink in and settle.

Wait.

Wait some more.

When the time comes, you will know.

Our home is everything I imagined it would be.

And more.

I have a few more spaces to imagine,

so my dreams have not died.

I'm enjoying where I am and will figure out what's next as time goes on.

Some dreams are free.

Others aren't.

For those that come at a cost, 

time spent waiting, wondering, hoping and imagining

is time well spent.

I love living in our home.

Morning, noon and night.

Before and After

My office is coming along very nicely after a day of reshuffling the contents of our home.

I thought this worked well for me:

Before

But THIS!? This is so much better:

After

I was so proud of utilizing what we had and making it work for me:

Before

But NOW?! Perfection!! I could work all night here (and almost did):

After

Our home and the rooms within it keep "reinventing itself". Here are some of the many identities of what is currently known as "The Office":

The Daycare Days:

 Holiday Makeover During the Daycare Days:

Post Daycare; Pre-Renovation:

Post Renovation:

 Post-Post Renovation (making room for a sibling sleepover)

To the current look:

It seems I have been creating office space a lot over the course of time. 

This time, in "Mom's Room":

Makeshift Office Space in the Kitchen:

 What in the world will I do if we have guests? Heaven knows we have the beds. But now that the bedrooms have taken on new identities, our spare bedroom quarters look a little bit like this:

The cats really love this new sleeping spot:

Our spare bedroom is large enough to set up all three beds ... but is it practical?

All I can say is ... thanks to the COVID travel restrictions, I am not expecting guests any time soon. But when the day comes, you can be sure I'll find a way to make it work.

Some Assembly Required

I picked up groceries bright and early this morning and felt just a tad overwhelmed at the task set out before me. "What was I thinking? Buying all of these 'ingredients'!" I sighed and thought to myself "Some assembly is required ..."

We have been existing on easy-to-assemble, pre-made, frozen meals much of this COVID season. I patted myself on the back, marveling at how little we were spending on take-out. I could have lived like this forever but I do not live alone.

So I bought some better groceries this time around. Yes, some assembly was required but it will be well worth the effort.

Then I thought of the weekend past. It was definitely a weekend where some assembly was required.

My Middle Son had designed, constructed and delivered a custom bookshelf. But it was not yet in its final destination. Some assembly was required.

I thought the hard part had been done. And it had. But it still took many hours to ensure it would bear the burden of the weight of Mom's library of books. A few adjustments here, there and probably somewhere else. The need to move and re-glue a few pieces of trim. Paint touch ups. Caulking. A top shelf. More painting. Baseboards. It was a full day's work.

After my son finished his part, I had the fun job of filling the shelves. I should have taken a picture of all the bins of books. I just kept sighing ... there were so many books. Yes, I had the fun part. But due to my state of feeling easily overwhelmed lately the task felt daunting at first.

Some assembly was required.

Then I woke up the next morning with my thoughts firing on all cylinders. I could move these books here, those there and the other ones will fit into the completed unit.

Then ... if I could enlist some help, maybe I could empty my office to create the room for the desk and folding table we have downstairs. My Youngest Son accepted the challenge and he was my partner in recreating a renewed office space. More disassembly AND reassembly required.

I shuffled things around until they felt like it created a organized work space. Then I worked for several hours just to test the theory. It felt so incredible to work in this space. I can't believe I didn't do this before.

I have been going through the paces. Marking time. Crossing days off the calendar. Doing what has been required. Earning a pay cheque. Paying bills. Eat, sleep, work, eat some more, watch my current DVD favorite TV series, eat to stay awake, sleep. Rinse. Repeat. Daily.  Nothing was terribly wrong. But nothing was terribly right either.

Then came the weekend where "some assembly was required". Thankful for my sons who did 99% (maybe 100%) of the assembly, I am reaping the benefits.

I am wandering through our home appreciating every nook and cranny. I love the way our home feels. Mom's room has turned out exactly as I had envisioned it. My office is "my room" and it is coming together in a way I can visualize working-from-home as a viable retirement plan.

Sometimes, life does take a little assembly. As a general rule, it is well worth the effort.

Reimagining

My Christmas gift from my Middle Son has not only arrived, it has been installed and has moved into its rightful spot within our home. Mom's books have finally found their way to where I imagined them all along. In "Mom's room" ...

Before

After

It has all come together

The books moved into their shelving last night. I have spent the morning tweaking the look, the whereabouts and have brought out pictures which will complete the look.

This room has been one of several guest rooms within our home. It is the room Mom stayed in when she came out to help us move in (26 years ago). It is the room I dubbed "Mom's Room" from that day forward. It is the room she slept in whenever she came to visit (except when it was re-purposed as a daycare room for a while).

The third upstairs room has been transformed into my work-from-home space. The master bedroom has become my room once again. We officially have ONE guest room instead of three.

I have been wandering through the house this morning looking at it with fresh, new eyes. Our house has gone from "home" to "daycare" to "guest house" and presently it is its current state which utilizes every room upstairs. Finally.

I loved when our house was used for a daycare. Every square inch of our home was utilized. Inside and out. Every working day for fifteen years. When I closed my daycare and sold off all the daycare wares I remember feeling I was making room for what was headed my way ...

Little did I know I was making room for some of Mom's belongings after she died. Each and every item that entered our home had an empty spot waiting for its arrival. I had to shift things around in one room. Everything else just "fit".

I was lost for a while afterwards. It was a time when I had many guest rooms and lots of space in my life, heart and home to welcome company. When all three of our spare rooms were filled to capacity late this winter, I felt our home had found its identity. A home-away-from home for those who came to stay.

Then came COVID-19.

Self-isolating. Working-from-home. Staying home. Appreciating our surroundings.

Finally, finally the world reopened enough in and around the same time my son had enough time to devote to the task of installing the bookshelves he built this past winter. I wandered in and out of the room during the installation process. Part of me was panicking. The job of re-homing all Mom's books and belongings I have had in storage felt daunting.

Then I began.

One by one, each book found its spot. The Royal Family is altogether. A space for the Kennedy's. Another spot for biographies. True stories. Family history. Classics. School readers Mom collected (containing many verses she learned in school and could recite until her dying day). Reference materials. Some fiction. Almost everything has found its rightful spot within Mom's library (I am awaiting the final touch ups before re-homing the last of Mom's books on the top shelf).

I am looking at our home in a whole new light this morning. Mom's room looks and feels exactly the way I envisioned it. My office however? Needs a little work. The amazing part of this, is that most of what I need to turn this make-shift office into a "real" office is within our home. Some re-shuffling of what we already have will move the office reno in a forward direction.

Everything starts with a "before". The picture of the "now" is real. The vision of where you want to go is imagined. Unless you draw a picture of where you plan to go. In my case, I have framed my son's vision of the home he saw for Mom's books:

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” ~  Greg Reid

I am re-imagining our home's purpose. It is a beginning. 

The Evolution of Customized Shelving

Phase I - The Before

This is the closet in "Mom's Room" which has been emptied, primed, painted and waiting for book shelves for a year now:

Phase II - The Messy Middle

Mom's books have had several homes since they moved in with me. 

First, most of them resided in their future home, in a free standing book shelf which was in "Mom's Room", with the excess in bookshelves in various other locations.

During last year's renovations, all of the books were moved into the enclosed shelving within our laundry room. There was plenty of room for all the books and I could easily find any book I was looking for.

This past Christmas, my son gave me the gift of offering to build a bookshelf for the books. So I lugged up all of the books and laid them out in the fashion I hoped they could be displayed in the middle of the floor of the room which would become their eventual "forever home".

My son then advised me that he would need room to navigate while building said shelves, so I moved the books into the spare bedroom. So many books. The excess spilled over from the containers which held them, onto the spare beds within that room.

This too, would serve to be a temporary home for my library-in-waiting. We ended up with a house full of company and every single bed in our home was needed and utilized. So I moved the books once again. This is where Mom's library of books is at this very moment:

My son has had a fully committed winter so the tentative goal for the installation of the customized bookshelves he designed and created was set for "sometime before April".

Then came the self isolation mandates during this time of the 2020 coronavirus. Life as we knew it stopped in its tracks.

Phase III - The It's Ready for Paint Step

This photo came with the message "I hope you're okay with how it looks".

And I was. I have vision and could see it in its final stage even when it was lined up against a wall in its ready-to-be-painted-and-assembled period.

Phase IV - The Almost There Stage

Last weekend, my son delivered but, due to the distancing and isolation recommendations,

could not install the shelving. It is presently residing in the basement awaiting the green light before the final installation of this saga continues:

These are lying on the floor and I rotated the picture to give the illusion of what it will look like once installed inside the closet. It will be an L-shaped shelving unit with room for smaller books to the right of the main event.

We are so close. So very close! 

Phase V - To be Announced

I cannot wait ...

Filling the Void (Living Life Forward)

I found myself thinking of Mom this morning. "I miss missing her ..." I wrote. As I continued to let my fingers do the walking, I found an inner contentment which has filled the void that was created since Mom died.

While Mom was here, I wrote her a weekly letter. She phoned me in response to my letters. If I was not home, she would wonder where I was and if she had to wait too long before I responded there was a sense of urgency within her voice. She knew my routines and would concern herself when I wasn't where she expected me to be. My holidays would revolve around going out to see Mom. Our sister weekends would often involve going to Mom's.

Mom has been a strong guiding force within my life. I listened to myself repeat what she had said often over the course of my life as I lived it and I wistfully thought of the day when I would be quoting her after she was gone. I was pleased to recognize I appreciated who she was to me while she was here on earth.

After Mom died and the immediate needs of taking care of her house, estate and tying up all loose ends with the lawyer, accountant and our taxation department were done, there was a distinct void in my life that was once filled with "Mom".

The void created the space for me to feel all the feelings I had been tamping down with busyness. It was a time when tears appeared out of nowhere and everywhere all at the same time. It was a time of sadness but it was necessary.

Life doesn't stand still for anyone. The sun continues to rise each and every day, seasons pass, bills need to be paid and life goes on (and on and on). Life dragged me along as I dragged my heals through that first year. It didn't matter. The sun rose. The sun set. Life called out its demands. I had no choice but to move along with the flow.

Fast forward another year. I stopped bucking the idea of moving on. I started making a few plans. I dared to dream a little. I placed my dreams and my final financial gift from Mom into our home. Home renovations began, my thoughts were consumed with all aspects of that. Bit by bit, the void created by Mom's absence began to fill up.

I continue to think of Mom, what she may say or think, I quote what I remember from Mom's vast array of quotable quotes and smile when I think of some of our conversations. She continues to guide my thoughts, actions and motives. She is part of who I am. It is undeniable. Sometimes I must quiet my inner-Margaret but most of the time, I just smile when I get a flash of her expression or hear the scorn in her voice over some inane use of the English language.

The cracks of my life have been filled up with living my life forward. As I think of the past year, it is "full". Full of home renovations, family, plays, Glennon Doyle, Cher, Oprah, friends, getaways, gatherings and celebrations. It was a year which was filled with doing things that filled me up and filled the void left in Mom's absence.

It feels good to feel fulfilled again. I do miss missing Mom but it is more important to go with the flow of life and live it fully while one is able to do so. I still feel Mom's guiding force and I hear Dad within my thoughts too. Between the two of them, they gave me the tools, my siblings, a strong sense of who I am and who I aspire to be.

Life goes on. We carry bits and pieces of everyone we meet as we make our way along. I am grateful to have thoughts of Mom and Dad within me. It is my hope to live my life in a way that would please and honor them.

What Dreams Will Come?

My dream gene is malfunctioning and it is playing havoc with the side of me I most enjoy being. I love when the possibilities of a dream diverts my attention from the day-to-day world I live in.

I could go back and try to figure out the why, when and how I have come to this state but it is not important to know how I got here. The key is how do I find my way above and beyond this life numbing state?

I started rambling about my dreams as I wrote my morning pages. I couldn't use the word "dream". The word paralyzed my thoughts. Once I wrote "Wish List", the list appeared.

I don't have a dream to "become" anyone more than I am in this very moment. I am who I need to be to get through my days. My work does not define who I am but it does define my days. To wish for anything to change is to wish for things which will spiral out of my control and make me long for "today". Work is what it is. And that has to be okay.

It is my after-hours-self that needs to jump out of her rut. Just a little. I need to reroute my off-the-clock thoughts into something that inspires me.

Dreams seem too elusive and far away. Wishes are a start. Unfortunately my wishes are things of material value.

#1 wish - a car that will get me through the winter. Either getting my existing car up to snuff or an excellent used car that is not going to gobble up money on repairs and maintenance to get it to the state of trust I have with my existing car.

Tied for #1 - is the desire to pay off the money I borrowed to paint our house. These funds I owe feel daunting. I need to get control of my finances after a very heavy spending year. Thus, I believe I need to do what it takes to get my existing car through the winter. [oh, how I wish I worked from home right about now as this would relieve the pressure of the "reliable car" factor]

#2 - shelving for Mom's books. This is attainable. I just need to make a plan (and get that loan paid off before I feel free to spend the money). Book shelves; floating shelves; hang pictures; make the den a usable space. Right now it is simply a room with a closed door. I utilize so very little of our home these days [oh, how I wish I worked out of our home right about now - I would have the need for a defined office space and that would reroute my thoughts on what is necessary to make that happen]

#3 & 4 - bathrooms. I would start downstairs because the plumbing down there is a concern to me. Start at the bottom and work up. Having a 3 piece bathroom downstairs would do one of two things - I would move my room back downstairs again, leaving one room upstairs as available office space; or we would have the ability to take in a border [oh, how I wish I worked from home as this would more clearly define a purpose behind my desire to update our downstairs bathroom - the ONE thing Mom said should be the first thing I should get done]

#5 - durable flooring for the laundry room and a compact easy to access space for clothes to hang to dry. That one sounds easy enough and I don't think it would break the bank either. I have simply always wanted a bright, clean and organized laundry room. It is that simple. No need to wish I worked from home to add that to my wish list

#6 - a quick "spiff" of the remaining space downstairs. The playroom from my daycare days; the room without a name or purpose in our current life; a space that could easily be defined as a living space if there was more than two of us living in this massive home. [this space could become an office if I worked from home]

My wish list has revealed my dream. My dream is to work out of my home. I knew this three years ago, when I closed my daycare. I knew that the secret to creating a life where I was semi-sorta retired meant that our home had to work for me. Renting out a floor? Working from home? There must be more possibilities than those two. I need to reactivate my dream gene and open myself up to the possibilities I have not yet thought of.

If I build it, it will come. Perhaps this is where my wish list is leading. It is leading me down the road of possibilities. If I build it, what dreams will come?

A Deck Story

Here is a boring little story about the evolution of our deck. It isn't too interesting so I will let the pictures tell the story and will keep my comments to a minimum.

The Beginning

A two level, open concept deck. From 1994 to 2012, "this" was our deck:

After replacing almost each and every deck board over the course of time, our deck was rotting from the bottom up. My Second Son offered to build a one level deck. He started and finished the job one weekend while I was away:

September, 2012

It is very nice, isn't it?

Sept 3 2012

We got talking about the ugly step and my son ever so generously offered to alter the existing deck so decking replaced the step. Awesome! There was a slight glitch in spacing of the top step but we deemed it "good enough" and carried on.

Sept 16, 2012

Over the winter, we devised a plan to turn the deck area into a penned dog area. Phase one of this plan was to build a deck railing:

April 29, 2013

Voila!! My son commited yet another weekend and look at the progress:

May 2, 2013

Phase 2 of this plan was to enlarge a "dog run" area beside the house:

May 28, 2013

... and create a gating system where we could pen the dogs just in the "dog area" alone or give them access to the back door/gate area as well. This worked like a charm:

May 28, 2013

Six years after the deck was built, I FINALLY stained it. It felt brand new again. I was very pleased with our renewed deck:

August 5, 2019

Then five days later, came "The Fall". After years of warning people to watch their step due to the spacing on the deck stairs, my almost-90 year old uncle fell. Thankfully he came out relatively unscathed but my guilt factor was high. I may have wrote a little blog about it ...

Less than two weeks later, I came home to this:

August 23, 2019

The mis-spaced stair situation has been corrected and our deck is a legitimately safe place to walk.

Except seven years of memorizing the need to allow for the mis-spaced step is engrained deeply into my muscle memory. My knees go to jelly each time I step up or down our new and improved steps. I just may be the first to fall down our new steps. But I will be the last to complain. I promise!

I am so pleased our steps are up to "code" still looking mighty fine after a few minor adjustments to the existing decking.

I am eternally grateful.