These dudes have been sparring on the property lately. Living in the woods is interesting!
If there’s one thing long-time readers have discovered, it’s that my goals for the year always end up taking way longer than I’m hoping. Each year around this time, I list my “resolutions.” Many of the items on this list are repeat stars, since there always seem to be issues that present themselves that have to be addressed NOW. In other words, this yearly to-do has become as much of a reflection on what was accomplished (or not accomplished) in the previous year (or years) as it is a list of goals.
So (deep breath) here’s the list for 2014, including many repeats from preceding resolutions – think 2013, 2012, 2011… 1. Replace the carpeting in the house. Still hasn't happened. I’m hoping we go with engineered hardwood. 2. Paint the outside of the house. In progress – two sides down, two to go. 3. Fix and/or replace the deck. In progress. Everything is done except the deck boards! 4. Build a railing for our concrete steps. We’ve got a post hole digger and posts. We just need to do it. 5. Finally build a pergola over the front door (and maybe a second one for the deck). I downloaded some plans, so hopefully this year. 6. Finish the bathroom (sink vanity, flooring, medicine cabinet, toilet). This is much higher on the list now, thanks in part to Disco Stu and California’s drought. We need to be saving as much water as possible! 7. Replace the kitchen countertops, change faucet, add backsplash. Man I hope we get to this in 2014. 8. Install one more base cabinet to add much needed storage and countertop space. We purchased a base cabinet from Ikea, but we still need to add a countertop to it. We’re planning on giving it a counter at the same time we do the rest of the kitchen. We hope to install butcher block and stain it the same color as our cabinets, something like the bottom photo in this post. 9. Re-fence Bodie's yard. A bear broke into his yard a few weeks ago. The scary part is, we think the bear was trying to get our dog. It's been so dry this winter, food is becoming scarce. We fixed the damage the bear caused, but we really want to reinforce the fencing and string a line of electric wire across the top. That way, it couldn't hurt Bodie, but it would deter a bear from tearing down the fencing. This is a top priority, obviously, because of Bodie's safety. |