From our mailbox
From our back deck
The Snowball Bush
The Pine Tree in the back that Jim wants to one day run electricity out to so we can decorate it for Christmas.
From the end of the driveway
Showing posts with label lawn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lawn. Show all posts
Monday, March 5, 2012
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Let the Weed Deforestation Begin!
Our poor yard. It is a bit neglected because we have been concentrating on the inside of the house so much. Plus, because of the new septic installation, it already looks battered. We decided to take a weekend and give the yard some much needed attention.
Our first task was to remove the weeds from around the water well area. The weeds were so bad that it looked like we were purposefully growing a weed garden...NOT that kind of weed! LOL!
This is what it looked like.
I drew an arrow so you could see the well amongst the weeds.
Once the weeds were removed, we raked up all the red gravel in the area. We plan to put a weed barrier down to try to prevent the weeds from returning. Since I didn't like the look of the red gravel against the blue of the house, we transported all the gravel to the back of the yard to surround the firepit. It looks a lot nicer back there. We'll probably put grey or white gravel over the weed barrier. I'll make sure to take a picture of it once the project is complete.
Our Snowball Bush might not have survived this spring and summer, but our Mimosa Bush is thriving in this heat and rain.
In fact, it is doing a little too well. We need to restrain some of the heavier branches so that they don't break off. Hmmm...I wonder when we'll have time to do that!
Another task we did that weekend was to cut down some of the webworm webs in our trees. They especially seem to love our black walnut tree. Some of the webs were too high for us to reach, but we did get all the lower ones.
Here is what they looked like.
Ick! Creepy looking, aren't they? They remind me too much of spider webs, and I'm afraid of spiders. :(
Since I'm on the topic of bugs, here are some more for you to see.
Some Type of Fuzzy Caterpillar
Isn't he cute?!
Red and Black Insect
He wouldn't stay still for the camera, little bugger!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Outdoor Projects Besides Septic
On Memorial Day weekend, my dad came up and helped us with some of the yard work that included removing the hedge stumps along the west side of the house, pruning lilac bushes, and placing weed barrier where the stumps used to be.
On Independence Day weekend, Jim's parents came up and helped us with a couple outdoor projects as well. While Jim and his Dad worked on the upstairs hallway, Jim's mom and I worked outside in the flower bed. We first spread mulch on the weed barrier. We then ended up going to a local nursery, Lowe's, Home Depot, then back to the local nursery before we had everything we wanted. The cement urns were way too heavy for me to handle, so the guys helped us out with that. Here are the end results of our afternoon hard labor.
The West Side
My New Planters
These look so much better than the over-grown hedges that were there when we first moved in.
The planters really bring out the side door entry. Too bad we don't really use it yet. We'll see if I end up having to put a sign on the door directing people to the back door. :)
A close-up of one of the planters.
The plants inside are Coleus, Confetti Purple Cleopatra Petunias, and Potato Plants
We also created a little oasis in the small bed by the back door.
Unfortunately, I've already had to move the 2 planters since it was too much sun for the Coleus to handle. I have since placed them on the front door stoop where they will get more shade.
My father-in-law replaced our old back door entry light with this more appropriate one.
I didn't like the old one since the bulb stuck out the bottom. This one is a little small for the space, but it will due for now. We originally had bought it to use as a second light outside on the upstairs balcony, but have since changed our minds.
This chipmunk looks guilty already of destroying my flowers.
Hooray for New Septic Systems!
The long awaited day has finally arrived, the ground breaking of our new septic system. :) They came on Friday, July 1st, and were able to accomplish everything in 1 day! They arrived at 9am and left by 3pm. I was amazed. We half expected them to run into complications and would need to up the price from the quote, but everything seemed to go quite smoothly. Yea! We took plenty of pictures for everyone to see.
Our Yard Before July 1st
The Back Yard
The Side Yard
The Front Yard
Our Yard During the Installation
Groundbreaking and rerouting the septic
Dig!
The new system arrives!
Putting the new system into place
Make way!
Those are some big piles of dirt!
Don't fall in!
What was left of our septic tank (left) and our leach well (right)
Well, now we know where the underground pipes for the downspouts, footers, and, water-softener are located for sure.
Phase 1 complete! Phase 1=destroy our yard
Checking out our yard while we wait for Phase 2 to begin
Haha! How many of you can boast that you've posed with your septic system? LOL!
Quick! Throw some of the old junk/rubble (that the previous owners left behind the garage) into the old leach well pit before the septic guys come back!
Phase 2 starts! Smooth out that yard!
The After-Shots
The Back Yard
The Side and Front Yard
Now we wait 3 months or so for them to come back and regrade the yard since the system will settle about a foot. Wait...3 months...that is when the baby is due! Oh boy! We will probably be hiring professionals next spring to come and reseed our yard since it is such a big area. Wonder how much that will cost...
Speaking of cost, you are probably wondering how much this lovely septic package has cost us. Well, I can tell you since I just wrote out the check today.
The grand total is $7,625.00.
Not exactly what we wanted to spend our money on when expecting a baby and in the middle of a major home restoration/remodel, but we kind of had no choice. A working septic system is crucial.
Now we just have to pray that sewer won't come down our street for 5 years or more so we can get our money's worth out of this ordeal. We would be totally screwed over if a sewer system did come through sooner because homeowners are forced to hook up to sewer. We had no choice; however, since our old septic system had completely and utterly failed.
I would like to take this opportunity to promote the 2 companies that we worked with during this whole fiasco of an experience. Both companies were friendly, professional, and accommodating to our needs.
All Town and Country Septic Tank Service: This is the company that pumped our old system on a weekly basis since the start of our septic woes. The owner even started to give us a discount because of how often we needed pumping.
Summit Excavating: This is the company that installed our new Hydro-Action aeration septic system. They were great to work with, are members of the BBB, and have an A+ rating.
If you are interested in the type of system we installed, you can check it out on this website:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wait! Is that snow?!
Oh, no. It's just the dandelion fluff blowing around in the wind since we haven't been able to mow our lawn. It's gotten ridiculous. You can't even see the birds bopping around in the grass because it is so tall! The rain has pretty much been relentless. On the rare sunny day, we've had other things we needed to do. *Sigh* It is supposed to be sunny on Friday. Maybe we'll be able to mow it then.
This rain isn't helping our septic either. We've been needing to pump the tank and well at least once a week. We have made some marginal progress though. We finally heard back from the county health inspector. When 2 weeks passed and we hadn't heard back from him, Jim called him. Apparently, he had our application confused with someone else's. Grrrr!!!! He has determined that the only feasible septic system for us would be a type that discharges off lot into the road storm drain. Because of this, we have to apply to the Ohio EPA for a special permit. This of course means more $ and another 2 week wait. The inspector did give us the go-a-head to get quotes from various septic contractors/excavators. I've managed to find 3 in the area that have "A" ratings from the BBB. All 3 have come out to the house, but we are still waiting for the final quote before we make our decision. Each contractor had a different opinion on the type of system to use. The first one says to go with Pump A. The second one says to stay away from Pump A and go with Pump B. The third one says we don't even need a pump and can just use a gravity system. *Sigh* Great! How can you all have such high ratings from BBB, and differ so much on your recommendations?! Once the last quote comes in, I'll need to sit in front of the computer and research it myself. By the time this is all over, I'll be the Queen of Septic Knowledge...not exactly a title I'd like to have. LOL!
In home remodeling news, Jim has started the demolition in the upstairs hallway. Poor fellow had to do it by himself. He didn't want me to help since I'm now in my 2nd trimester. It has taken him 2 full weekends to complete most of the demo.
He started out by knocking down the plaster on the ceiling and walls.
Looking down the hall when you first turn the corner from the stairs.
(That is the doorway to the bonus room on the left.)
Opposite end of hall.
(The Bonus Room doorway is now on the right.)
Looking down the hall towards the Guest Room.
(The hole in the ceiling is the current attic access.)
Opposite view now looking towards the Nursery on the left and the Balcony doorway straight ahead.
The hallway is basically "L" shaped.
Once the plaster was removed, Jim started removing the hallway lath boards. I put the pic views in the same order as the plaster removal ones for ya.
Can you tell it is dusty up there?
Bonus Room doorway on the right
Looking towards Guest Room
Once again, our attic is exposed. At least the weather is warmer this time.
Now for something totally different! Instead of demolition, I've put the final touch on something...
The Family Room curtains! Yea!
We finally put up the curtain hold-backs now that the warmer weather has arrived. The hold-backs match the finials on the front curtain rods. Sorry the picture is so dark, but it is difficult to take pictures of a window. :) Please ignore the Graco infant car seat in the bottom right corner.
Jim took this picture of me while I was making dinner. I believe we had meatball subs that night.
Did you notice the face on the teapot? You might have to click on the pic to see it larger.
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