Sunday, December 11, 2005

 

Roses Have Thorns and Not Much Else

I like to think of myself as someone who very rarely hates anyone or anything. Sure, there are things that I despite, things that annoy me, even things that infuriate me, but rarely does something or someone ever induce hatred.

I hate roses.

These little surly and tyrannical rulers of the flower world have had it in for me from day one. I can show you scars on both arms from my forays into pruning these beasts. I'll get right to it:

BEFORE:


Yup...those guys are mean and old.

Time for a funny story. So I'm out in front of my house working (very normal for me on the weekend). I'm taking my shovel, digging these beasts out, and tossing them over the fence in to my ever growing "when-I-finally-get-a-dumpster" pile. All of the sudden, I hear the loud sound of someone slamming on his or her brakes. You know this sound, it's the one that usually precedes a loud CRASH. Anyhow, I turn around to see two women running (yes, running) from their vehicle towards me. Nearly hyper-ventilating, they ask me if they can have my clippings. I guess for every person that absolutely hates roses, there must be someone who loves them. Anyhow checkout how much better my house looks without them.

AFTER:


Of course, now the question is what do I want to put there. Look forward in coming months to a new front landscaping plan. There's actually a gate in the middle of that fence. Functionally, I don't know how useful it is, but visually I think that long expanse need to be broken up.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

 

Let There Be Light


High Stakes

Like a $0.99 necktie, a crummy and ill-matched front light can ruin a first impression. Right now my garage and driveway aren't that accessible, so I park in front of my house. In fact, you've probably seen the blue Subaru in some of my pics. Because of this, I look at the front of my house several times per day. So my focus on curb appeal items thus far has not been surely for hte approval of the numbers (though, it's been nice!) but mainly because I have to look at it too.

So, I get back from spending Thanksgiving in Arizona and see a package on my door -- my new front lamp!

BEFORE:


Okay, I couldn't wait to get this thing off the house. It was ugly and the previous owners decided to use this black gum rubber to see its base to the wood of the house. Not fun. Luckily, my mineral spirits and about twenty (20) painters' rags removed the gunk. Also, and this is a bit of suggestion for those who are compromise-challeneged like myself, I highly recommend that you clean the area underneath, fill-in any holes with wood filler, do a light sanding (remove any ridges or marks left by the previous light, and prime + paint underneath. You want to start with a virgin, fresh place to mount that new light. No one else may be able to see the results from your extra work, but I PROMISE you'll sleep better at night knowing you did it the right way.

AFTER:



Yup, I think it looks pretty good :) Amazingly enough, it wasn't even that expensive -- $30.82 from Progress Lighting Outlet. Also, one of the great things about that place is that they stock EVERYTHING. No 8 week lead times.

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