Summer Days and all that Work...

OMG!  So I had said I would be back with a new entry soon after my last one and I got sidetracked...big time obviously.  I cannot believe how busy I have been since moving into my place in November.  Christmas came and went, spring arrived and now we are getting into fall weather here in the great state of Michigan.  So let's just get on with what has been happening since then, shall we?

I had dreams for the porch of my house since I first saw it in August of 2016.  I envisioned a nice garden, colorful furniture and a porch swing with nice plump cushions and under the window flower boxes filled to the max with blue lobelia, potato plants, ivy and of course pink, red and white impatiens bursting forth.  And I thought of an indoor/outdoor rug on the floor of the porch, something floral and loud to show from the street.  The grass looked a little bit neglected, thinning and brown. I wondered if I would have to replace the grass with sod or tear up everything and re-seed.

 

It is now September and I have enjoyed a lovely summer in my house with the exterior spruced up to exactly where I wanted it to be. With time it will get better but I had all of my list fulfilled and the place having the cute curb appeal I had dreamed of.

 Everything on the outside of the house looked clean. I loved the buttery light shade of yellow that was on the house. The bright white trim and the interesting lines of the house sold me when I first saw it. Now I could use these details to decide on what to do with the furniture and decide on colors.

This is what I had to start with.

The bright green of the grass needed a shot in the arm.  My son who is the family landscaping guru told me I could easily bring back the grass to a plush thick green. I began to fertilize and trim back some of the edging.  But let's face it...the focal point of the house needed color. My red patio chairs, a porch swing and some foliage in colorful reds would do the trick. And the window boxes I retrieved from my ex, in olive green, were the perfect accent to those boring windows.


So I mounted the window boxes using curlyq brackets and planned on filling them with flowers once Memorial day hit...it was still to early to plant. Anything I would bring to plant would be available in more volume at the stores once that date had come. The final result would be great but it took everything out of me to keep to the safe planting date.  At least there was a bit of color with the wreath I had mounted next to the door. 

Soon I was able to sit on my porch and observe the neighborhood activity, see and wave to my new neighbors and even enjoyed the beauty of a summer rain.

The indoor/outdoor rug seemed to pull it all together nicely!

I learned the secret to the abundant window boxes that I always see when I visit the western side of the state...they cram all the flowers in that the box can hold and water it every day. Also I move them around, trading them from side to side so none gets too hot in the sun and wrinkles.  Still its a big job to constantly be watering the flowers. Don't they look great though? 

Before the flowers were all planted I planned

I love the view from the walkway though..this was before I actually planted all the flowers. I mapped it out. The rocks were found along the side of the property so I gathered them and placed them. Next year I will enlarge the garden and give it more shape.  And I think I will rethink the corner where the columns are..i would like to have some blue morning glories growing up those columns.  There is a rosebush that I want to add, one that climbs to go up the right side of the porch on a sheet of lattice.  As long as the flowers are well fed I can see a beautiful summer ahead.

Below you can see a summer rain from my front porch.  It was really pouring this day so I got a shot from each side of the porch looking out onto the street. 

My neighbors told me that the last owners were going to make the driveway wider. Thank God they didn't.  I even question this one. But I guess everyone has a two car driveway.                                                                                

The grass was so green this day but needed the rain

See how nice the street looks from this vantage point? Everyone on the street have older homes that have been well maintained.  I was told that many years ago the street had to be raised and that explains why my basement window are covered and I have only one with a well for access.  It is a narrow street and so no one parks on the street at all.  You can see the ceiling of the porch is plain wood. I would like to make it beadboard and paint it with a high gloss blue like the sky or something like that. I will be replacing the porch light and my son said I should stain the wood like the color it is when it is wet to protect it from the sun and I will be doing that next year.   

Another view

On a sunny day. Loving it!



Had some neighborhood visitors. I had just gotten my kitty Belle.

So I had finally gotten settled with the outside and I had visitors come by.

The neighborhood kids saw me and could not resist stopping by.  This made me so happy.

I plan to add a wooden screen door to my rear entrance . I always loved that clacking noise that the door at grandma's used to make when I visited there as a very young child. I want to add a clothesline so that I can dry my clothes outside like my grandma did. I remember running through the sheets and towels as they swayed in the wind and smelled so good when we took them down off the line.  I remember pinching my fingers on the clips..not such a great memory but I would re-live it if I could.  So many things about this small cozy historic place remind me of simpler times. And one of those things that I love the most is the view from the front porch, reconnecting with the neighbors. I have waved so many times as I sit on my porch swing and take in all the neighborhood of my little piece of heaven. I have gone a little nuts and brought out a large container of lemonade just in case someone drops by.  I have asked for names and where people are coming from. I am getting smiles galore and feeling so at home here.I am so grateful.

I adopted a kitten and named it Belle.  We will talk about her in the upcoming installments.

We will talk about that in my next installment.  Thanks for stopping by!

With kind regards,

Kimber