Ah, another weekend in September gone and time for an update on the progress of summer projects. It has been, yes, a busy, busy summer. For those who read this regularly, it’s probably common knowledge that we’ve kept ourselves busy with little projects around the house. I reported earlier that the deck was done and the fence was finished over the course of the summer, but — really — that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Garden

I spent the summer fighting weeds and mice, digging, watering, irrigating, and tending — and in the end we’ve had a great season of fresh vegetables from the yard. Yes, it’s great and I don’t think a home-cooked meal goes by lately that doesn’t include something grown in the yard. From the heaps (literally, heaps) of potatoes and tomatoes, to the abundant carrots, to a few nibbles at squash and zucchini we’ve been dining in style. Just last night we made a pasta dish with an awesome tomato sauce using tomatoes and herbs from the garden.

This photo was taken shortly before I took the pitchfork and clippers and removed about a third of that vegetation. It’s a lot (a lot) more sparse now, and it’s coming up on the time to trim it down even more. Hopefully I can get to it before the frost starts.

The Shed

I contemplated this project for a while, prepared the base, shoveled gravel and readied the troops. Last week with a little help from Ryan (he shingled) we put the finishing touches on the shed.

In case you are wondering, that WAS a kit. But the kit came as a pile of lumber (two-by-fours, plywood, shingles, nails, etc) and the paint was purchased separately. I gotta say, I’ve never built something like that on (mostly) my own, so I’m really quite impressed with myself. Who knew? Now I need to do all the work involved with transferring hooks and racks from the garage so I can actually PUT stuff in it.

The Nursery

This past weekend I buckled down, painted the last few patches of colour onto the mural, cut and painted the chair rail, and hauled out the air-compressor to complete the last bit of carpentry. Karin moved the baby-gear in yesterday and as of last night we have a nursery waiting for a baby (and thankfully, not the other way around!)

To anyone looking to paint a mural onto a wall: it can be a very rewarding experience, and I think I’d give myself an A- in that (a) I’m not entirely happy with the outlining and would have done it differently and (b) it felt a bit rushed at the end (but then I’m on someone else’s time line, right?) Come talk to me before you take on that kind of project.

Either way, I’m happy that all that work it done. Now, I think it’s time for a few days (emphasis on DAYS) rest.