Through a Dirty Window

Walking downstairs in my house, there is a small landing halfway down where the stairs turn and go the other direction. That landing is eye level with this window which has a pretty unremarkable view most months out of the year. Except for when my neighbor's hydrangeas are blooming - which happens to be right now. He keeps them pruned to exactly the height of the fence so the happy blooms peek right over the top - where I can see them everytime I walk downstairs. So I snapped a pic with my favorite photographic equipment this morning (my iPhone of course) to share. Now, I need to get out there and clean that window so I can enjoy the view while it lasts!

Summer Challenge

Remember when you were in school, you were given a list of books to read over the summer to be ready for the next grade? Or maybe it was just something for your parents to hassle you about doing so when you went back to school in the fall there was still a brain cell or two left in your head? I've always enjoyed reading, but as an adult (and without the required reading list), the volume of books I consume in a year has been replaced with a volume of TV watching that nobody would be proud of.

Seriously, if I'm at home, the TV is probably on. I'd like to think it's on in the background while I do other, more important stuff, but most of the time, it's on and I'm sitting in front of it. When we got our first DVR years ago, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread - and it would enable me to spend far less time watching my favorite shows, right?!? Wrong. It just allows me to keep up with more than ever before.

I'm always telling myself that there are so many things I'd like to do more of (garden, read, blog, bike ride, etc, etc, etc) and not enough time to do it. Then, a few weeks ago, it dawned on me - STOP WATCHING SO MUCH TV!!! What the heck am I watching half the time anyway? Like I need to see another episode of House Hunters or Yard Crashers. Really - why don't I go crash my own yard? Or read or go for a bike ride or take the dog to the park...heck, I could even clean the house or do laundry during the week which would free up some weekend time - what a concept!

So - here's my challenge for the summer: No TV on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. I can catch up on the DVR on Thursdays or weekends.

I started this week and, already, I've been doing all of the things on my aforementioned list and my house is pretty clean too! I actually don't think this will be too difficult since I'm replacing TV with things I truly enjoy. In fact, I'm keeping a list of all the books I'm reading this summer - if you're interested, there's a link on the side bar of what I just finished, what I'm currently reading and what's on deck. Now, if anyone asks me in the fall if I kept up on my reading over the summer, I won't have to lie and say that the dog ate my list.

A Little History

Last weekend, Dennis and I had some company over for a BBQ and, for the first time ever, were able to sit with all of our guests around one big table. No kids in the kitchen, adults in the dining room, nobody leaning against the island or balancing a plate while sitting on the couch. One. Big. Table. A picnic table.

This isn't just any picnic table, this is my grandparent's table that has been used for fifty years of bar-b-ques before its inaugural dinner at my house last weekend. My Grandpa Roy built the table from a kit after tiring of his four children dragging the freestanding benches from his prior picnic table to other places in the yard - no doubt to assist in tree climbing or some other adventure that the benches were not intended for. He passed away when I was ten years old so my memories are of begging him to play his harmonica or seeing he and my grandma dressed to go square dancing.

As an adult, I've gotten to know him through the stories my family has told - most are related to his many projects (he was a contractor). Some of my favorites include his theory that hallways are a waste of square footage (I tend to agree) and the argument over a sliding glass door or a single door leading to the patio of the house they built that my grandmother still lives in. She swears she would have left him if he put in the slider - he must have taken her seriously since there is no sliding glass door there to this day. And finally, the idea that if your children are going to beat up the things you own, you might as well do it first.

I know you've seen it on the HGTV shows - the hosts explaining that you can make a new piece of furniture look weathered and aged by beating it with chains and cutting it with a knife. I guess my grandpa was just ahead of his time. My parents have a coffee table and two end tables he built years ago using this technique. Not only did they stand up to his children, but to my brother and I as well.

So - getting back to the picnic table - after fifty years of use (and no doubt abuse), the wood had rotted beyond repair and I asked my grandmother if we could have it to fix up and use in our yard. She was happy to let us have it, provided we could lift it. And she wasn't kidding - the frame is steel and that sucker is heavy!

Finally, last weekend, Dennis took the old wood off and put the brand new redwood on. After admiring his work for a few minutes he decided something wasn't quite right. He disappeared to the garage and came back with a knife, a heavy chain and a sander. After a bit of "damage", he declared it done. The finishing touch I'm sure grandpa would approve of.