Our house has needed a makeover for a very long time, but even as I longed for it, I imagined workmen tromping around on the plants that I’d been nurturing.
To the untrained eye, it may appear that there is nothing going on in this front yard.
Any time my husband and I’s conversation turned to the subject of this outdoor project, I started talking about the limited time frame that I wanted to schedule it in. While his eyes rolled, I listed why it couldn’t be done in the spring because that’s when my garden was at its peak with everything blooming, including irises, peonies, and roses.
Even in summer the daylilies would be blooming, and as it started to transition to fall, the Rose of Sharons would be taking their turn.
So my ideal time frame was late fall/early winter. Even late winter/early spring would be too late because my beautiful bulbs that I look forward to all year would be starting to push their way up through the frozen soil and I sure didn’t want them being stepped on!
When the big day arrived, one of the crewmen arrived ahead of the others with the trailer that held their equipment. As he maneuvered it around the driveway, it caught the corner of the fence that protected my garden and tore a portion of it away. I just happened to be standing on the front porch to witness it and couldn’t help but let out a big sigh. He jumped out of the truck and apologized, explaining that he wasn’t used to pulling trailers. That fence was what kept our dogs, poultry, and people out of the front yard, so I was glad about the timing, that there wasn’t as much to be trampled. The silver lining was that my husband suggested getting a nicer fence that would compliment our newly painted home. Yes, please!
What you can’t see in the picture is that right in that corner is a little Redbud that I call Fred that I transplanted from elsewhere on our farm. I was really glad that it wasn’t damaged in the incident.
Our house was painted in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. We were expecting my sister and her family and were hoping that they’d be able to see the transition our house was making. Our painters knew that and did their best, working around bad weather days, to make that happen. In fact, the last few days of painting were while our company was here and we all dodged their work vehicles and ladders while coming and going.
I was glad to be preoccupied with getting ready for company inside our house. One day I grimaced as I noticed that they were using my shepherd’s hooks to hang their coats and hats.
A friend and I made some hypertufa planters together last year and mine was by the house with succulents in it. One day I noticed some tools resting on top of it! Ugh! Back in the house I go. Sometimes you just have to not look!
The leaves had fallen, covering my plants, so I knew they couldn’t tell where some things were. When I saw their ladders on top of them, or workmen walking willy nilly through my flower beds, I reassured myself that most of those things would come back in the spring.
In the end I was actually very pleased with the job that the painters did on our home and appreciated them working so hard to get it completed in a timely manner. I wrote this post with a sense of humor, feeling like only another gardener would be intrigued by its title or be able to empathize with me. If that’s you, be sure to let me know! Now about that fence…
If you enjoy reading about remodeling, you might enjoy my last post, No More Broken Windows.
Comments
I definitely understand your feelings! A part of the reason we waited to get our house insulated this year was because of all of the plants that grow around our house. I love how it looks! It’s so bright and cheery! Your colorful flowers will really pop in front of it in the springtime!
Author
I’m looking forward to seeing that difference this spring. I hope to have the new fence as well. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I completely understand! I had just started gardening back in 2007 and in 2009 we had to have a new roof put on. I was so surprised at how delicate the workmen were around my flowers and shrubs. They put giant totes from Rubbermaid over everything and didn’t tear one leaf. I am loving the new color you picked. It really showcases your house. Cannot wait to see it in full bloom!
Author
Thank you! Those were very conscientious workmen! So nice of them to put covers over your plants. That’s a good idea! I’m hoping my flowers stand out even more against the white, and I already know I’ll have some (good kind of) work this spring to beautify the side yard by the bedroom windows. Now that they can be seen out of, I want the view to be prettier.
Looks great! Maybe I’ll get to remodel someday but I’m not holding my breath! 🙄
Author
I know what you mean! I hope you get to, though.
I totally understand! I hire a teen 4H’er to wash the exteriors of my windows every Spring. She gets it. 😉 Nothing ever is trampled. Ever. (She also has a strict mama and knows what “clean” means. 🙂 )
Author
Good workers are great to find!
I love fresh paint! Your husbands idea for a different nice has me intrigued. I love the antique iron fences that are still around. Gorgeous.
Author
I love those, too. Not sure what we’ll end up with yet. I’m sure it’ll appear in a future blog post! LOL!
I enjoyed reading of how you handled it all, Michelle, and appreciate how challenging it must have been to watch the workers trample on your beloved garden yet knew that our Creator made the plants resilient so they’d come back in the Spring. That was such a great attitude and you didn’t make them feel guilty.
As a gardening enthusiast, I love the flowers in your garden starting with the roses then the Rose of Sharon, both of which I had in mine, and still do in the garden I started and nurtured when I returned to Jamaica in 2015. Now that I’m back in Florida I’d decided to move to container gardening, and that’s what I’ve been doing. But as I see beautiful gardens, including yours, the call of the ground is reaching out to me. You must get a feeling of delight every time you drive up to your home now. Please remember to share pics in the Spring when your garden is blooming again.
Author
Thank you, Yvonne! My garden is a source of joy, for sure, and occasionally frustration, but I enjoy the challenge and the beautiful rewards. I feel close to God while I’m out there working, smelling the dirt and admiring His beautiful creation up close.