Oh, Hey -- It's 2011

Hi there. Remember me?

I guess it's time to do one of those "2010 in review" posts, and fill in all of the things that I worked on, but didn't blog about.

• That raised bed from the front of the house that I was emptying out? I finished emptying it. I also knocked out the concrete blocks that had formed a short retaining wall for the bed. I am grateful for the existence of sledgehammers and wheelbarrows. (The transplanted bulbs survived, and are loving my back yard.)
• The gate on the west side of my house was warped, broken, and termite-riddled, with a decoration of peeling red paint (possibly 30+ years old). My dad and I took it out, and the new gate is straight, whole, and weatherproofed with a lovely honey-yellow stain.
• The section of fence facing the road on the east side of the house was missing a board, bowed, termite-riddled, and leaning. I hypothesize that the previous owner took that section of fence out temporarily while removing her jacuzzi, and didn't put it back quite right. (I also think the kids next door used the gap where the board was missing to squeeze in and retrieve balls they'd hit over the fence.) My dad and I took it out, and the new fence matches the gate on the other side (but taller).
• In the garage, I took out a section of shelving that was too narrow to be useful, and put in a wire shelving unit from Home Depot. It's worked so well that I'm planning to take out the plywood shelves on the west wall of the garage, and replace them with another shelving unit.
• I bought my very first Christmas tree this year. It turns out that I had a number of ornaments and decorations that I'd acquired over the years: just enough to fully trim the tree.
• I took out the unused track over the master bedroom closet (which hasn't had doors since I moved in), and my brother-in-law came over and helped me hang a new curtain rod. Having curtain doors on the closet is working very well.
• I bought a new bed, complete with a full frame and headboard, and moved my old mattress on to the frame in the guest bedroom, which is now ready for company.

In 2011, I hope to both do, and remember to write about, the following projects:

• Tear out the combination of weeds and crabgrass in the back yard, and put in raised beds and mulch.
• Start my very first garden in the raised beds.
• Start a compost pile. (I have a small compost pit at the moment, but I'd like to start composting more efficiently.)
• Put down paving stones where the raised bed used to be out front, and put potted plants over that.
• Tear out the other raised bed out front, and figure out how to fill in the exposed area. I might just plant grass, and extend the lawn a couple more feet.
• Choose a contractor, finalize a plan, and remodel the guest bathroom.

I'll stop there, because I actually have a very long list of projects, and I have to keep reminding myself that I can't do them all in one year.

Happy New Year, y'all.