Month Four: October

Reed's project: clean up water damage and re-organize clothes closet 

Reed's project from Joanna: Replace broken firebricks & prepare fireplace insert for winter

Joanna's project: Clean out and organize the storage cabinets in the mudroom (take two)

Joanna's project from Reed: Organize the mudroom closet (take two)

Sweet September Victory (sort of)

Gosh darn it, I was determined to hit my deadline for both projects in month three. And, for the first time since this experiment began, I did.

Backyard Fire Pit

The fire pit was a bit of a punt, as I salvaged a used fire pit from the beloved Cape Elizabeth Swap Shop (aka the dump). While I have grand plans of a properly designed fire area, this store-bought contraption can serve as a good stop-gap measure, especially as we experiment with the proper location in our back yard.

Fortunately the Super Blood Moon on September 27 provided us with the perfect opportunity to initiate the fire pit and enjoy the unseasonably warm, dry autumn evening. (Yes, that's the eclipsing moon at the top of the picture.)

Redesign our Front Entryway Closet

Until I sat down to document this, I thought I had clearly accomplished this goal, although a technical reading of my original goal - "Resign and organize our front entryway closet" - suggests otherwise. At least the redesign part was accomplished, in part due to an 8PM run to Home Depot on the last day of the month.  

The organization component will be a bit of a work in progress, which was part of my design. I installed adjustable shelves so we can figure out what will work best through experimentation, so the final due date for 'organization' remains a bit down the line.

However, I'm not going to let technical details get in the way of my delusions of victory. 

Something Re-Painted, Something Blue

August Updates:

Better late than never on  my Grill Prep Station Project. Took longer than expected, as projects often do, but I'm pretty happy with the result. It has really increased our barbecuing frequency, but at least those pesky grill tools are out of the kitchen.

Joanna also forgot to give herself credit for an extra project in August. She took our rusted, yellow patio chairs and painted them apple red. Better than new.

It's interesting to realize that in just two months, we've had so many projects that center around the back deck: power washing, staining, light switch, grill station, refurbished grill, and repainted chairs.

The deck is starting to look pretty good just in time to shut it down for the winter.

Month Three: September

Reed's project: Redesign and organize our front entryway closet

Reed's project from Joanna: Create a backyard fire pit

Joanna's project: Clean out and organize the storage cabinets in the mudroom

Joanna's project from Reed: Organize the mudroom closet

August Is Over

Hanging pictures --- doesn't seem too difficult. Weeding the garden -- maybe a bit more strenuous, but not very hard. Well, I got most of these two jobs completed, but not completely. There are still five pictures I need to find a wall-home and the weeds, well let's just say some are lingering. But, I did spend at least two hours working on these projects this month that I probably wouldn't of if it weren't for this challenge. That's the point, right? Sorry, universe, the summer was lingering and calling my name. It's beckoning voice lured me to the beach and to play more than the commitment to complete these goals. I will keep hanging pictures and weeding in September.

Now for September, which has already begun, along with my new teaching job -- today was the first day with students, so I am pretty tired. I need to choose something simple and achievable in a short amount of time. I am thinking of organizing the cabinets above the washer and dryer, which are currently a mess and totally disorganized. Yes, that's my choice for myself. Now, what will Reed choose for me? Until then.....

Reed's other August Projects

A few other accomplishments in August:

Deck Floodlight Switch

For reasons that escape me, our back deck had fully functioning floodlights with no switch. The only way to turn them on and off was to toggle the breaker switch. Besides being a dumb way to turn off the lights, cutting the circuit also killed power to the driveway floods.  Having rebuilt my confidence in electrical work last month, I again worked under the long-distance tutelage of project-master CM to install an exterior switch. Now we can turn them on and off the old-fashioned way.

Depth-Meter for Pond

One of the greatest surprises of our home has been the delightful backyard pond. From the spring peeper chorus to the industrious early-summer muskrat, from the family of black-crowned night herons to the late-summer adventures of a great blue heron, it's been a Mutual of Omaha critter-fest out there. Plus, the lights of our neighbors across the pond reflecting off the water at night give the appearance that we own the lake-side camp I've always wanted. 

Interestingly, the water-level has also varied widely, which motivated me to create a depth-meter so I can track the water level across time. Now if we could just get some rain...

Painted Toy Box

One benefit of living in a community like Cape Elizabeth is that people give away great stuff at the dump. Every trip on Saturday is like wondering into a magical world of free goodies. A few weeks ago, we grabbed this huge quilt chest, which I painted up and we have converted into a giant toy box for Ace. For the record, the factory price tag of $159 was still affixed to the back. I paid $0, plus a coat of white paint.

Batting .500

The good news: Teamwork led us to victory on the deck staining project.

After Joanna's power washing last month, she jumped in to help me with the staining this month to meet our deadline of August 31. We had a weekend-long scramble, but are thrilled with the results and suddenly feel like the back deck is a highlight, not an eyesore.

The bad news: despite a gritty, 11th-hour effort -- a phrase I fear may be repeated many times in the course of this adventure -- my grill storage/prep station remains incomplete.

I even threw a highly dangerous power tool in Ace's hands and told him to start ripping boards (which he did with wild abandon), but couldn't get it done. We have a long weekend coming up, so I really shouldn't have an excuse not to wrap it up in the next few days. Stay tuned.