I've really been pushing to get the outside of the house looking nice. I mean, my neighbours are pretty much jerks, with the exception of the lovely woman on the south side, so I don't really care what they think. But, you know, pride of ownership and whatnot.
After cutting off the house's wiener unceremoniously, we finally installed the Quentin pendant sconce from Restoration Hardware that I've had in a box for quite some time now. I also sprayed those house numbers with a fresh coat of black, which is just until I convince Chris that it is a good idea to buy these, or something similar that comes in black.
Yes, there is still some dried foam residue left on the bricks from the house peen. I prefer to call it residon't, cause I don't like it. I tried to remove it with acetone, but no dice. Hopefully it's only me who notices it in normal life.
Anyway, I also painted the railing and stair risers to get rid of that flaking rusty brown paint, and straightened that wonky mailbox:
The stairs are still crooked, but I'm not replacing the porch or the brick lawn until the city replaces the water main underneath...no point in building a fresh porch if we have to dismantle it next year, or whenever it may be.
(And in the meantime, I will lump these stairs in with all the other quirks of the house I like to file under "character", because it sounds more charming and whimsical than "flaws".)
Just a little baby bit better, right? REAL LIVE GROWNUP HUMANS LIVE HERE!
And since I figured I might want to actually use the deck off our upstairs kitchen for more than just gazing longingly down at the backyard I don't really get to use (there's no other way to access it except through Amy and Alex's half of the house) and pouting, I planted some planty plants!
My friend Ryan gave me some organic heirloom cherry tomatoes from little miniature sprouts, which have since grown up some and are in those two pots with the stick teepee things I made to support them. To the left is some lemon thyme, and in the clay pot is some Coleus, which I bought in honour of my ginger beast.
There's also some purple basil, which Bonk has been chomping on a lot. I want to somehow screen the deck in so the cats can have fun out there, but I'm not sure what to use that won't break the bank and will still let light in. I will have to think on that one for a bit.
And check out the view now that the yard is filling in nicely with grass and the flowers are blooming! Oh man...summer, you're pretty!
Speaking of pretty, it's cat face time.
I really can't help it.Labels: garden party
