Ten Days of Little Celebrations - July 2013

Back in August 2012, I posted about finding something to celebrate each day. It’s an easy thing for me to do and the habit of writing it down reminds me to be grateful for these and a myriad of other things in my life. This month has been full of ‘little celebrations;’ here are the top 10.

Starting the day outdoors. For years and years I was always heading off to work or errands as soon as I was able in the morning. It is such a luxury to be able to enjoy the outdoors on July mornings when the heat of the day is yet to become overwhelming and the birds are at their most energetic. What a great way to start my days.

Watermelon. I still think the large watermelons with seeds from many years ago had a better flavor than the smaller, seedless varieties in the stores today - but, even these watermelons are a hallmark of summer for me.

Cheesecake sampler. Don’t they always look tempting in the store? Always being on a diet means that I had not succumbed to the purchase until I had a dinner party with enough people to eat most of the pieces in a single sitting. So - I celebrated when I finally found a cheesecake sampler (at the third store I checked) and thoroughly enjoyed the one piece that I permitted myself.

Butterflies on the blazing stars. Flowers and butterflies - easy images to celebrate. See my earlier post here.

Credit for the electric bill. One of the days the exterior of our house was being painted was also an electricity conservation day (our electric utility gives us a credit based on the amount we reduce from a baseline day of similar temperature). The windows were open anyway for the painters - so we turned off the air conditioner and ate picnics (i.e. no cooking). We got at $46 credit! Hurray!

Cardinal flower. Plants are one of my favorite gifts (to give or receive). I celebrated receiving a cardinal flower and enjoy its blooming stalks (increasing rapidly in its big pot) every day. See my earlier post here.

Exterior house painting complete. The house looks wonderfully refreshed….I celebrated that the crew finished in spite of a significant rain delay! See my earlier posts here and here.

Into ‘normal’ weight range. Shouldn’t this be a goal for everyone? I am celebrating getting into the range…and closer to the ultimate goal (another 10 pounds to go).

A quiet day without internet or cable. A storm came through and the service people don’t work on the weekend…so we were without connectivity for almost 48 hours. I found that there was a new quietness about the house to savor…although I also celebrated when the connection was restored too.

Pecans in buttermilk pancakes. I celebrate the goodness the dusting of pecans adds plus the memory of learning to sprinkle the nuts onto the batter as it cooks from my mother.

What have you celebrated today?

The Joys of New Paint - Part II

It’s done! I posted mid-way through the project last week (here). After I posted, the crew put in a 12 hour day since rain was in the forecast for the rest of the week. The forecast was right! Two days of rain prolonged the job but as soon as the skies cleared and the deck dried, the crew re-appeared. The last of the repairs, painting, and staining was finished in about 4 hours. About three hours later, the rain started again.

Here is a before and after of a window repair. The house is as close as it can get to looking like new.

The big surprise of this exterior painting experience was the deck. It’s about 20 years old and the wood is showing a few ravages of time; in some places the grain is ridges because of previous power washings. This crew used a gentler wash and then brushed on stain. Wow! I find myself drawn to have breakfast on the deck among my plants every morning (when it is still cool and shady).

Since then we have been thoroughly cleaning screens and putting them back in the windows. The hardware store will replace the screen material in 4 screens (that had developed significant holes in the past few years). The new address plaque needs numbers and then installation beside the door. We likely won’t be as fast as the painters in getting our chores complete!

Today - I am celebrating the newly painted house that is home.

The Joys of New Paint - Part I

Last year we had the inside of our house painted (posts: one, two). This year the exterior is being painted. It has only been about 5 years since the last time we had it painted but there were enough problem areas to get it done again and the painters we found for the interior were available for the job. There is not all that much to paint -- the front is brick and the siding is not wood (and does not need repair or painting). There is more than just simple painting of the house trim that the painters are providing though:

Replacing rotten wood around a couple of windows

Caulking

Cleaning and staining the deck

Washing the siding (all the dirt and stains are gone - and it is beautifully white again)

Painting the exposed walls of the basement in the back of the house

Repairing framing around the front door - which now looks like new and the new address plaque to the right of the door will soon be ready to be attached

I’ve been enjoying the daily progress. The crew got off to a fast start the first day; the weather was cloudy but dry and they put in a full day. The second day they ended about noon - the day cut short by rain. Will it all get done this week? It all depends on the weather!

As last year - I am impressed by the painters cleaning up at the end of the day. It is the same this year. During the day their painting supplies and ice chests are all over the front yard but when they leave their ladders and a few supplies are neatly stowed under the deck but otherwise there is no sign that there is painting in progress.