The rains came hard last night and washed all the humidity away.  Perfect day to open all the windows and paint the new shed! We chose Chamois Tan on a trip to Home Depot yesterday.  Our goal was to pick a color that would nestle into the landscape. The paint chip looked one shade darker than the primer color with a hint of mossy undertone.  Chamois Tan is actually Exploded Diaper and looked like a baby’s smear after ingesting a jar of yellow squash.  We immediately put the lid on the can, made a list, and headed back to the … Continue reading Village Square

Welcome to Woolsey Drive.  The front door was never much to speak of, just a big slab of wood painted a flat dark red.  On the sides of the door are two large glass panels of textured glass right out of the 1950’s.  They let in the light, but you cannot see through the glass.  We thought seriously of replacing the front door, but then the glass panels would have to go.  One of us likes the 1950’s glass panels, so an all new door was not an option. Last Thanksgiving, we hid the door behind a festive wreath hanging … Continue reading Knock Knock

If you want to sit at the dining room table, you just might be seated on a 50cc Honda Ruckus scooter parked on a cardboard pad. As cool as that sounds, it was about to change with the arrival of the contemporary shed kit.  The new home for the scooter was planned for installation in the area where the Brazilians defeated the azalea bushes in the recent yard skirmish.  I had been dreaming, of a shed on the property since the day we moved in and parked the cars in the garage-less driveway.  The shed we wanted was a contemporary design with high … Continue reading Shed happens

With the yard mostly weed, ivy and azalea free, the bluestone gone, 3 months of chemical mosquito treatment behind us and our inside dark wood floors covered in blue dust, it was time to close a deal on the outdoor plan.  Eric, being the engineer he is, researched every patio material available and chose pavers.  Pavers would provide us the clean design we were looking for without high maintenance and a long lifespan.  He selected Cambridge after a field trip to Maisel Brothers in Glen Burnie and a long chat with the owner about the ins-and-outs of paver brands. To … Continue reading Paving the Way

Mosquitoes – blood sucking, welt popping, disease carrying ancient vampire pests!  These tormenting insects invaded Woolsey, turning our patio picnics into swat meets.  According to Web MD, 1 in 10 adults are magnets.  As a chosen one, I fit the criteria of being large, sweaty and full of carbon dioxide.  The ladies come from a mile away to have me fertilize their eggs, where they nest then hatch in my weeds. I love the outside.  I especially love the back yard on a weekend day.  I love puttering around with a fire going in the fire pit, and a pork … Continue reading Bamboozled!