Well, it’s been over a month since I posted anything, after promising I’d post weekly, but at least I’m back.

The weather has been wonderful here in Southwestern Ontario, and I’ve been taking full advantage of it. For those who know me, I purchased five years ago and have been working on a lot of home improvements. This classic was built in 1936, and while the original owners kept it up well, it had a lot of the original ‘parts’; knob and tube wiring, some galvanized piping, no updates to the insulation since it was built, and even the old cast iron clothes lines out back.

I happened to get in on government grants for the insulation, but had to have the wiring done first. That was year one. Year two I basically just did some painting inside, and cleaned up the yard and gardens. The third year I finally fenced in my back yard. It’s not a huge yard by any means, but it was open to the next street and I couldn’t keep any patio furniture, or even my BBQ out there in fear of it growing legs and wandering away. Last year I had a small deck put on the side of the house, giving me access to both the front and back yards, as well as build a patio. I’ll tell you, it’s amazing what you find when you start changing things. My neighbour and I were able to lift enough patio stones from the original sidewalk, to build the patio, put stones along the fence for patio cushion storage boxes, as well as stepping stones in a now mulched walkway.

This Spring, and the reason I’ve neglected writing, I’ve started to put my imagined yard into reality. I moved a small retaining wall from one side of my yard to the other, and built a small meditation garden. A friend took the stepping stones from the front walkway, and built another small seating area in the corner. Friends and neighbours have donated perennials and I’ve pulled out the garden ornaments I’ve collected over the years while waiting for the right yard in which to display them.

There is still some work to be done, but much like ourselves; you stand back….take a look around; keep what you want, change what you think needs to be changed, and enjoy the result.