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.