Tag: First Home

Garden Plans

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-First published on Tumblr on 4/10/23 before I realized Tumblr has no real archival function.

For most people, they would probably have knocked out this garden on a weekend. I mean, I would have when I was in my 20s or 30s.

However, because I live with a degenerative physical disability, I take time. It took me about a week, working like an hour or two at a time to just dig out the sod, and it took me three different days to do the raised beds.

It’s very nice to see my work come to fruition, but it’s bittersweet because it’s a noticeable loss of ability to take this long to get it done, with recovery periods between each work period.

But, look at my soon to be garden. It’s a mess because it’s in progress. I am going to put chicken wire over the whole hoop house/greenhouse thing, and that way, the squirrels, cats, raccoons, and possums can’t get into my beds.

It’s a 10 foot by 20 foot hoop house frame for about $200 on amazon. The three blue beds are about $200 each on amazon as well.

I chose expensive metal raised beds because 1) I won’t have to redo them, as they won’t degrade like wood, and 2) my physical condition is worsening and raised beds are easier to work with for bending and mobility. I am looking to the future when my body is worse, so if I get it all in now, I will still have it then.

Ideally, I would have liked to get this all in before the last frost, but we own the house so I don’t have to rush. Everything I get to work on this year will be there for me next year.

I have to build in recovery days. Like I don’t have pictures, but I started the chicken wire, and I overdid it a little. It took me three days of soreness and exhaustion to recover. I will put up pictures when that phase is done.

It’s so weird owning a home, where I can do anything I want. I never thought I would own one. It’s like minecraft in real life. Each little project I get to keep, and my world is better for it.

Butcher Block Counter Tops

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-Originally posted on Tumblr on 3/1/23.

This is my countertop after normal messy kitchen use for months. It has been covered in sauce drippings, coffee rings, and red cabbage spots.

When I put it in the shitty contractor was very vocal about how fragile it would be, and I read online and watched YouTube vids where people were super unhappy about having it in their kitchens. It got me scared that I might have made a mistake and I started worrying about it a lot. I’m a worrier at heart.

Yet, we’ve dumped things all over it and it comes right off. I finished it with mineral oil, and reapply it when I remember, and it’s been amazing. Nothing has remotely stained it. I have literally dumped steak drippings all over it, and it just wipes right up.

I used to work at The Wild Garlic in Bellingham, and it had dark 30 year old butcher block counters. We cut directly on them, and some areas were actually concave where decades of cutting happened. We never gave it any thought. I loved them because we tossed hot pots right on it. It’s the reason I got them in my house.

I’m not sure anything we do can mess it up honestly. It seems to be perfect and I am no longer worried. I am really happy with them.

I just want to note the shitty contractor took a picture of this corner join, not when it was 1/8th inch uneven between sections and unfilled, but after I spent the evening after he left, sanding and filling it. As if he did the finishing work. Like, unbelievable.

Little Blue House Projects

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With my craft/sewing area almost done, I have a bunch of projects for Little Blue House.

  1. Build a cabinet box. This was what the shit contractor was suppose do. That got paid $275 to do. That they did not do. I need to build and install a cabinet box on the other side fo the dishwasher. I plan to leave it open, paint it, and use it to store large cookie sheets. My stumbling block is that I am trying to straighten out my cupped plywood. I am also partially terrified of my circular saw. It’s a big spoon project because I have anxiety about it. When I get my plywood straightened, I just have to do it and get it over with to not worry about it anymore.
  2. Curtains for the wardrobe craft overflow bedroom. I have the curtain. I sewed it all up. I just need to put up the curtain rod.
  3. Buy a rug for the craft area. I can paint without it, but it would be nice to have a “disposable” flooring for my painting. I am messy.
  4. Put together two more garden beds. I put one together, which took me like an hour and a half and 144 bolts. I bought dirt that will arrive tomorrow. Dirt costs way too FUCKING much money.
  5. Arrange the first three garden beds. I need enough space to build a chicken wire cage around them to prevent the squirrels from eating my food. The great squirrel interdiction shall begin eventually. Shoveling dirt into the beds will be a lot of work for my broken body. Gardening is pushing my physical abilities by a lot.
  6. Curtains. I have to get fabric and make curtains. I’d buy them, but I just don’t like what is on sale. I want white fabric backed curtains so little blue house has white curtains from the outside to match the trim but cool curtains on the inside. I have to sew those. It’s not a huge project, but it tires me out so much.
  7. Screens! All of them are garbage. Like dry rotted and old, and we have cats. So I have to replace every screen in the house. I literally can’t remember that when I go to the hardware store. I forget the minute I walk in and never buy screening, spline, or a spline roller. My wife worries about how hard it will be, but it’s like a 15 minute job per screen if I had the materials.

I like having a new house, but I am a very picky everything-in-its-place kind of person, and it’s a lot. I am over 50 with a degenerative condition, and I am so tired. Sometimes I just can’t do things. 30 years ago I’d be done with everything right now. It’s hard to be kind to yourself when you can’t keep up with your physical capabilities.

Art/Crafts Area almost complete

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-This was first posted on Tumblr on 2/15/23.

This is an in-progress picture of my art/crafts area. My previous apartment was only 564 square feet, which I shared with my wife and cat, and required two desk set ups because we worked from home. We did not have room for anything.

That meant to do any sort of sewing, painting, cricuting, etc. I had to pull everything out from under the bed, the couch, in the closet, etc, and set it up, and then put it all back away.

If I painted, then my easel was literally in the middle of a walking space, so I never felt comfortable leaving anything out.

In our new home, the “living room” area is now the creation area. I have room to grow. For the first time in my life, I have all my paints out so I can see what I have. Before, it was all in a toolbag that lived in a closet, and I had to dig for everything I wanted.

The baskets on the top shelf are all filled with my fabric stash, and sewing projects. The white box with stickers is literally cat stuff.

The table pulls out for an additional 2 feet. I can lay out full patterns on it! No more floor patterns, where my dislocating shoulder becomes an agonizing disaster, and I race against time to get it done due to pain.

I hung a lamp right where I needed it for maximum lighting!

I have two drawers that are empty, and one that is only half full of patterns. I have so much room to grow!

Even better, my wife now feels like she can do things here too. I am so happy we made the “living room” out of one bedroom so that we could have this space.

This will surely be tweaked and adapted as I go on, but I just can’t describe how good it was for my soul to have a space for creative hands-on work.

I have the sewing machine set up in the closet room right now, but it will come out to the table. I will put a serger in there when I get one, eventually. I want to paint the shelf boards so they don’t look weird, and replace the dollar store blue baskets with better fitting versions, maybe little drawers in the shelves.

This really makes this house feel like a home.