Summer Update

It's been a busy time since it stopped snowing and started heating up!
Today, Stephanie did the first coat on the rest of the basement wall.  I started the painting in May, then she had knee replacement surgery and I quit painting - actually leaving half of it undone, which normally would have driven me nuts, but so much else was going on that I didn't have time! 
We discovered the walls had never been painted, so needed two coats - I'll finish the second coat on Thursday and that project will be finally finished (except for putting everything away and cleaning out!).

It's actually a light blue color.  Don't know if I mentioned it, but had an electrician in this past winter/spring and replaced all the halogen can lights for led lights.  So much brighter and better to work with.
I've spent the past month or so working in the yard.  Had "landscapers" remove the overgrown ugly shrubs from around the house.  They were supposed to ready the beds for planting, but apparently they don't understand "get the rocks out of the beds that were used as mulch" because as I'm planting things, the rocks were still there -- so much so it was difficult not to pull a shovel full of rocks out of the ground.  They also decided that dark brown mulch means natural.  They spread a thin layer of "natural" mulch and I have worked every morning to cover it all with dark brown mulch. This is the new flower bed next to the drive:

And the bed in front of the house (still need to paint the garden bench):

The bed along the back of the house:

And, I had a couple of trees taken out and planted these 3 flowering crabs.  Just finished with the mulch yesterday.

I still need to cut an edge around most of the beds and still have plenty of work to do outside, but happy to have the things planted - it's a start.  And hopefully it will be cooler here on out -- since last week was in the 90's with 80% + humidity!  I only work outside for an hour in the morning!
I also have a couple of plants on the deck that are doing fabulously! 

Yes, the deck needs replacing -- maybe next year!
So, that's what's been happening here for the past two months!
Until next time.....blessings.