We try to do something every year to make an improvement to the house or the land. Well this years project was bounced back and forth between a deck for the front, to  new stairs. 100_2983 We will only do something we can pay for, and we saved for either a deck or something to make the front more friendlier.

We kept hemming and hawing about a deck- you do not want to do it cheaply- it can sag, and if you go with the composite wood.. well the budget would do more than sag. We wanted to do something to make getting into the house easier.

The steps we bought when we bought the house were always like climbing Mount Everest cuz the steps were steep… and they snuggly fit the width of the door, so if we had anything to carry in, we had to reach up and grab the door, open it , than come to the entrance. A sight to behold when we are coming in from grocery shopping or when I am lugging in my purse, bag from work, gym bag and lunch bag after a LONG day away from home.

We actually have had times when entering the house, you had to swing the stuff on the other side of the railing to get into the door.. than it would get caught… ahhh 2 years of frustration… ended.

So here are the new steps…100_5193 they are preformed concrete ones that were brought in with a boom truck. No one is going to move them very easily.. they will last longer than a deck would have, they are really sturdy and bugs wont eat them . The old steps are now at our slider… they look very nice back there.
The problem than became what to do with the walkway… as the steps are about 2 1/2 feet wider… so that was my Saturday project.Mark was my observing supervisor.. as he is not able to do heavy lifting or stand for long… I needed to take all the concrete circles up , rake the old mulch about and add new mulch and reposition the circles- plus widen the part in front of the steps. It took a few hrs, but it was a cool day..no bugs..a breeze… and I was one determined ol fart !.

Than I went off to the garden to be area… rakes rocks, re-cultivated and spread manure in it. yes you heard that right you suburban folks… I… spread manure in my garden. Some very good friends of ours came over a couple weeks ago- we were giving them a treadmill.. and they brought me a bag of poopy.I was excited about it.. as I did not have that in the garden last year. A really nice trade off… it should help the garden grow.

I was worried- cuz it had been in a black garbage bag in the sun for 2 weeks that it would be RIPE… but it was not thank God, for I think I was weary enough that the garden would have gotten more than poop as I was spreading it around..

AAhh I love country life… Take care all.. love to all. Mrs Justa.. alias Cindy 

I wonder what next year we will save up for ?