A Year in the House

Actually it’s a little over a year since we moved into the house and we still love the place! Is there anything we would have done differently? Beyond minor things like adding another electrical outlet in the bathroom and putting the sump pump on the generator, I think the only thing I would have wanted would be a front porch. We were concentrating so much on the views out back to the water that we never considered that we would also have a beautiful view out the front. There have been a few days where we just sat on the front steps just enjoying the view. A covered porch where we could put a couple of chairs would have been nice. We may put a brick or tile porch in the front at a later date.

We have done very little inside the house other than unpacking the odd box or two. Our main focus is getting the retaining wall done. What a project! And the county inspectors have not forgotten about it either! They popped in a couple of weeks ago to see how we were coming along. As you can see in the photos we still have a long way to go! That will be the tallest that layer of blocks will go, then we will cut into the hill and add another terrace and possibly a third in the middle. Since that is all clay it is easier said than done! I have also started a garden and a couple of flower beds. There will be more gardens in the future but we are taking it a step at a time. Eventually we want to finish out the basement and we are working on the plans for that now but that is a few years in the future. We also painted the back deck - a big improvement!

 The newly painted deck! The small flower bed is actually where the flower pots are at the foot of the deck, against the house.

 We have knock-out roses behind the lilies. There were blooming like crazy a couple of weeks ago and I’m sure they will again real soon. This is in front of the dining room window. We plan to build another planter and wall in front of the turret - maybe next year.

Below is the back garden. I have planted basil, peppers, tomatoes, lavender, mint, a gardenia (in memory of my mom who passed away in January), lamb’s ear and a few others I can’t remember right now. I had a lot of friends who were kind enough to bring us gifts of plants - a big thank you to all of you!