Back burner

The backyard, we discovered, is a great little spot for a party, especially with the retro string lights we put up. Again, more stuff to fix -- I'd really love the old, cracked cement to be taken out and replaced with brick, but hey, there's time -- but it's kinda relaxing to grill, sit, sip.

Mmmm ... barbecued chicken, veggie skewers, sauteed zucchini ...

... and summer's best beer: an Abita Strawberry Harvest lager.

The recent heat wave did a real number on our new grass, but live and learn (and water the hell out of everything ... ).

Smooth walking

In a pretty short period of time, two trees have come down, and all-new sidewalks have been installed. Crazy!

The removal of the old sidewalks has presented a new problem we didn't anticipate (though we shouldn't have been surprised -- we learn something new every week): the desperate need for landscaping help. Which, really, is pretty cool.

Fresh dining

It's almost a relief to see this new table in our home.

The kittehs took to it immediately (especially Woody).

A question for you

Yesterday was Mikey's 33rd birthday bash. As we're all at that age when we're buying homes, having kids, working three jobs, etc., homeownership was a popular topic -- sharing tips, showing Bich just how little they know ...

Usually, Bich can come to a consensus about a particular home decision, but one issue has us at a complete impasse. Is it a new paint color? Which piece of furniture we need most? A budget issue, perhaps?

No. It involves the electrical hookups for the hot tub the previous owners had.

Yes, something as stupid as that has us butting heads, each refusing to budge.

Brooke wants them out, utterly removed, their hideousness taken away, the loose wires eliminated from the back patio. Rich wants to keep them, hoping it will appeal to the next homeowner.

Brooke: WTF?! That's at least 10 years from now, and seriously, we do not have the kind of house where a hot tub ever belonged. It's freakin' 85 years old and a tiny Cape Cod.

Rich: There's absolutely nothing wrong with the wires. They're fine where they are, they can be used by someone someday, and WHO CARES?

One of Rich's friends -- not sure which one, as we'd all been drinking at this point -- suggested we put these arguments up for everyone to enjoy, and then put up a poll to get your input.

So, dear readers, we ask you, in the poll to the right ...

What we came home to

Yesterday I posted pictures of what I woke up to.

Now, pictures of what awaited me after work:

New sidewalks -- well on their way!

House gone CRAZY!

Projects currently under way at the House of Bich:

1. The basement. I learned two things last night as I stayed up until 2 a.m. slathering Drylok (which is basically Home Depot's version of Marshmallow Fluff) on a section of the stripped-down, cleaned-off walls: This project is more ambitious than I anticipated, and boy, is it going to look a million times better when I'm done.

I've actually learned a lot more than that, such as which paint stripper to never ever use again, how long it really takes to get rid of decades of paint, how much better this stuff is already making my basement look, and that a respirator is probably the only thing keeping my brain cells intact.

No pictures yet, as Rich is not allowed in the basement. But they'll be up soon ...

2. Sidewalks! This is what I woke up to this morning.

At first, I was pissed that there was jackhammering before 7 a.m., but I remembered that it's going to be near 90 degrees today and I was sufficiently sorry.

Also, I was thrilled that Rich talked me out of planting trees before this started, because half our lawn seems to be gone. On the bright side, it was shitty anyway; they begin actual installation Monday, after they've torn out the rest of the sidewalks and installed the new curbs. And then I will talk to the landscaper.

Also-also, everyone thank Rich for not being afraid to march out to the Dumpster, talk the boss out of it and demand to know why his secretary kept giving him the runaround, then get a quote and a timeline on the spot ... all for less than what we thought we'd have to pay.

3. Landscaping (a corollary to No. 2). Once the sidewalks are done, we'll have the landscaper put down sod where the trees used to be, plant two trees in a better location, tear out all the detritus -- i.e. what the previous owner thought was "gardening" -- along the side of the house, and get the grass around the new sidewalks going.

4. New dining room table. OK, not a project, but another vast improvement to HoB. It arrives tomorrow (not last week, as I thought). Which means I need to get all the stuff from the basement back into the basement tonight ...

5. Fixing the oven. Also not a "project," per se, but it's broken. Something to do with the gas, pilot light, etc. etc. Good thing it's been too freakin' hot to use an oven these days.

Super-secret project!

OK, not so secret, obviously, but I've made Rich promise to not go into the basement until I've finished it.

Wasn't too hard, considering he has to go down there to do laundry ... which he doesn't do anyway.

Saturday morning: Here's where we stood.

Amanda's on her way over to help me clean it, then paint it (Home Depot, here we come!).

What do I want out of this project? Basically, a clean, neat laundry area, and a clean space to put my "office." I've started to get storage in control (accidentally typed "out of control" first -- Freudian slip?) thanks to a shelving unit from Lovely Leeza and The Container Store.

Tearing it down

First, before I start getting yelled at for destroying old, beautiful trees, know that:

1. It had to be done. The roots were pushing through the decrepit sidewalk, creating a situation ripe for litigious members of our society to take advantage.

2. The trees weren't as healthy as they might have appeared. Poor trimming and pruning over the years hadn't done them any favors, and every time we had a strong storm, I feared weakened branches taking down the power lines with them (and a few branches had actually grown into the wire).

I'll let Rich tell the amazing story of Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac's assistance in getting our trees taken down for free (township ordinance!). In the meantime, here's the before ...

... and here is the after:

When I got home that afternoon and saw the empty hole in our neighborhood -- of course, the day before was beautiful and sunny, while I arrived home the next day to threatening clouds -- I poured myself a glass of wine, sat on the front steps and mourned a little. What a mistake, I thought.

But we have grand plans, and I'm setting up a meeting with a landscaper to help us bring the beauty back to the house. The new sidewalks will be done by the end of the summer, and that will help immensely; we're considering tearing up the grass and putting down sod instead, and we're definitely planting two trees in the front again -- this time, between the house and the sidewalk.

Our next-door neighbor came over and said she was shocked, but in the end, she was pleased -- it'll increase the safety in the neighborhood, and that made her feel better. Us, too.

On the bright side, the township even removed the stumps:

Everything we could possibly hate about the outside of our house suddenly became very, very apparent.

I did repaint the mailbox post and install a brand-new mailbox; at its base are two sets of Little Lime hydrangeas.

Ah, well. We're taking things down to build it back up again -- it'll be ours.

*sob*