How I Spent My Summer (or Why I Hate Concrete)

My house is brick and I love it since brick is rather unique in my neighborhood. It also means that a mason probably built my house. And the concrete driveway. And the 3 concrete pathways. Also the concrete pad under the front porch and back deck. And my entirely concrete basement (which is rather bunker-like).

Quite a clothesline. Made a great bird feeder stand.

Included in this plethora of concrete was a giant clothesline in my backyard. My house was built in 1950 and I get that people did not have the same clothes dryers as we do today. What did not make sense was how enormous this clothesline was. It was 16 feet wide and 23 feet long with a concrete pad that was 3 1/2 inches thick.

It was an eyesore in my yard, especially when I got the shiny, new fence. I knew it was going to be a big project and I was right! I started by buying a sledgehammer. I then whacked a corner of the concrete and got a chuck to come up. That was the encouragement I needed.

 

And the chaos starts! I sawed the poles down and started to jackhammer.

These poles were heavy! They were able to be recycled.

I have never jack hammered before. I am not sure I want to do it ever again. I did a lot of research online and talked to the people at my local hardware store. In the end I had to rent the jackhammer 3 times. It took me 2 full days and a half day to get everything broken up.

Once I got everything broken up, I called for a dumpster. I had to be careful as I had 7 tons of concrete and didn't want a situation where I loaded it up and it was too heavy. It took a bit of calling around but I finally got one. I had 2 weeks to get all the concrete loaded in!

I had nightmares that I wouldn't get it all loaded. Or I would run out of room. It all ended up fitting perfectly and worked out.

My full dumpster and hard working wheelbarrow.

Once the concrete was gone (it was on it's way to being recycled) I needed 4 yards of loam. I also had to rake and till the soil before I laid down the loam. Once the loam was in, I dug a giant hole for my tree. I wanted an evergreen as it's a bit bleak in the winter with all the white snow and the white fence. I ended up getting a 10 foot Japanese Incense Cedar.

The tree was so big it needed to be delivered by crane and then moved to the hole. It took 3 of us to get the tree into the hole. I cannot thank my friends enough for this!

Once the tree was in, it was time for the sod. I could have planted grass seed but with the dog I felt sod would be better. People advised I should sod the entire yard, but I didn't. Sod is not cheap! Sod is also heavy, which I somehow didn't realize. I realize after moving 7 tons of concrete all by myself, a roll of sod was nothing in comparison. But I was coming down with a cold the day it was delivered and felt miserable. I also needed one more yard of loam (for a total of 5 yards.)

Once the sod was down I had to put a temporary fence up, the keep the dog off. And I watered, watered, watered like crazy. I got an irrigation ring for the tree and that was a huge help.

Such green grass! The rest of my lawn was dead from moving all the concrete over it. But this section looks great!

Doing this project myself saved me a few thousand dollars. I still had expenses (renting the jackhammer, renting the dumpster, loam, sod, sledgehammer, several pairs of gloves, many band aids and of course my time) but it was cheaper that way. And the end result was better than I could have imagined!

Before

After

Home Sweet Home

It's been just over a month since I closed on my house and moved but it already seems like it has been a lot longer. Moving over the holidays was a bit challenging but thankfully there were no major snowstorms to make things difficult. Of course the day I moved brought snow and heavy rain, but luckily things went smoothly. After packing for a month, it was nice to finally have all of my stuff, kittens included, in one place.

We are all settling in nicely and getting to know my brick home. It's so bright and sunny that I just love it. The kittens do as well as there is a ton of space for them to run around and so many windows for them to look out. I finally got the bird feeder placed in the right spot and it's been great watching all the birds in my yard, including a very large Red-Bellied woodpecker.

I still have a bit of unpacking and there are still some things I can't seem to find (like my spoon rest or the Saran Wrap.) I am also waiting for my new couch to come. It's still a few weeks away but I miss having one! And it feels like I have just been spending and keep spending. The list of things that had to happen before I moved (locksmith to change locks, chimney swept, cable and Internet installed, utilities switched, oil delivered, fridge delivered) only lead to things that are happening after moving (garage door opener installed, washer and dryer delivered, electrician, plumber, curtains hung, bathroom accessories hung, Ikea trip) and it just seems to keep going. I have been to Lowe's, Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond more that I ever have before. Thankfully they are all located close to each other!

It it still sinking in that this is mine and I can paint or do anything I want. Since it was just totally painted I have no desire to pick up a brush any time soon. I am still learning some of the quirks of my house, which is just what I wanted when I was looking to buy. I am reassured by having a home that's been around for over 60 years and made of brick. It made me feel safe when we had the terrible storm and wind last week. I did a check that morning and the house, fence and giant oak tree in my front yard were all still standing. I can't wait to see what surprises the yard may hold as Spring and Summer get here.

Adventures in House Hunting

After being a renter for ever and ever, I decided it was time to buy a house. That of course meant looking at houses. Thanks to my helpful realtor/friend wheels were in motion and in short order I had an online list of houses. It was a bit overwhelming but I quickly created a system and a spreadsheet of houses I wanted to see. I do indeed love lists and spreadsheets so this process became just like any other when I have to make a decision.

Luckily my realtor was game and in two afternoons we saw a heck of a lot of houses. Some were on the possibility list. More than a few were on the no way in hell list. It was a lot at once but it gave me a good sense of locations I wanted to move to and what I was looking for in a home. I have been pretty insulated from the foreclosure mess and it was eye opening to see how many homes there are still out there. Some were very sad and you clearly knew that the people moving out were not happy about it. I can understand being in a bad situation but it just seems wrong to destroy your house before moving out solely to spite the bank.

The few homes that were occupied were interesting. You can't help but walk through a house and get a sense of who lives there. We did run into pets. One home had a huge cat that was very friendly. One had a huge cat that was a bit standoffish. That was also the house with the free range chickens that made their appearance known as we were leaving. Upon opening the door to go, I was greeted with a chicken on the doorstep that startled me to no end! One home, which we had to wade through a sea of trash bags to enter, had the happiest white dog in a crate. It did appear that people lived there and she wasn't abandoned, but we did both wonder if we needed to rescue her. Unfortunate wallpaper seemed to be everywhere as well. We saw a few creepy basements that I would never set foot in to do laundry. One house smelled like pee. I still hope it was pet and not human but we didn't stay long enough to determine for sure which. There was the house with the murky pool. The house with the small deck taken up by the giant hot tub. There were a few with bars that would have suited me better if I was perhaps a 20 year old bachelor.

 In the end the last house we saw on the 2nd day, which wasn't even on my list, was the one that stuck in my head. So we'll see where it goes!

The Power of Women

It's no secret that I spend a lot of time with men being an IT professional. So it's truly a joy to be in situations where I am in the company of only women. I found myself in precisely this situation today at work. I am a part of the Women's Networking Group and they just kicked off a mentoring program. I signed up to get a mentor and also will be mentoring two women. I have done a lot of mentoring so far, not in a formal program. And I have never had an official mentor. I have been good about seeking out people as I have needed but I think it will be really helpful to have a dedicated mentor I can meet with on a regular basis.

The two women I am mentoring are just great! I get along with them and they get along with each other too. The meeting today ended and we spent about another half hour talking with each other until we all had to head back to our desks. I was actually happy to have been able to offer a bit of advice to one of my proteges already and am so thrilled at the prospect to do more. It was funny as my mentor was leaving she told my two proteges they had a great mentor in me. It was flattering!

This week was a busy one. Anytime I have an all day meeting it just throws me off my game a bit. Having a two day meeting this week just made me that much further behind. So it was very helpful to have the mentor meeting today. It was great meeting new people and also to be in a room full of women sharing their experiences, getting acquainted and having a few laughs. The candy on the tables was a nice touch as well. I feel energized and ready to take on the world again! Of course I have a slew of things to read as part of  this program but homework will wait until this weekend.

Long Weekend

I was glad to take some time off and have an extra long weekend. I am glad I did given how busy I was. I managed to visit five states in three days. (ME, NH, MA, CT, NY)and had I felt like doing more driving I would have thrown RI and VT in for good measure!

The reason for heading to Maine was a trip to York Beach where my Dad was vacationing. I have not been on vacation with my Dad and brother since I was in high school and my Dad was married to my first stepmom. So a very long time indeed. Though my Dad goes to York Beach every year, he would normally go with my current stepmom. Given she has wanted nothing to do with either my brother or myself for over a year, we got a chance to have some time with just our Dad. It was fun and the weather was great. Being at the beach of course I had to get some salt water taffy and have been eating it non stop since then. Also being the beach, I had a great lobster roll with some homemade potato chips. You can't go wrong with a lobster roll in Maine!

While Maine was fun, I had plans further south so back in the car I was. Luckily I just love driving my new car and it's so much fun! NYC is my adopted hometown and I always like going back, even for a day. I had lunch and hit the Union Square Greenmarket for more produce than I planned, like the Seckel pears in the above photo. One of the best things they have is cat grass. While grass is easy to grow, I can't keep up with the kitten who loves it and can wipe out a pot in no time. So I came home with three pots of grass for her and she has been grazing and thrilled all weekend! After all that driving, I was saving Sunday and Monday as days to just relax. It was nice to turn on the oven again and do some baking. I had a lot of produce so I made potato salad, roasted Romano beans, bacon (for a BLT), chocolate chip cookies and slow roasted cherry tomatoes that took a couple of hours and are heaven. I always figure if I am making a mess in the kitchen I may as well do everything at once. With all of that, I am ready to start the work week!

Dating Sideshow

It seems to me that I could put together a circus sideshow of some of the men I have dated recently. I would only charge a nominal fee but could guarantee entertainment.

First up would be the man who claimed he didn't believe in the Internet. Yes, he actually said those words. This was a second (and last) date and I had, up until the point this gem was delivered, assumed his biggest flaw was apparent alcoholism. I was proven wrong by his utterance. I assured him that while the Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny may not exist, the Internet indeed does. I told him it was more that he didn't believe in using the Internet. Given that he had an AOL email address, that seemed to be accurate. He was pretty inebriated by the time the date was over. When I called to tell him we were never going out again, he spent the first few minutes of that call quizzing me about what smartphone and data plan he should upgrade to. I told him he couldn't afford my consulting fee.

The next is the man who couldn't handle grief. Actually he was incapable of recognizing or handling any emotions (mine or his). So when I had to put my cat to sleep, he disappeared for days. And when I finally sent him an email asking what was up, he told me that he figured I wouldn't want to hear from him because he had never had a pet. I patiently (ok not really patiently) explained that grief is a pretty universal emotion whether for a pet or a person. He had some other issues so I broke up with him. It was adult and handled well. Then, about two weeks later, I got an email from him stating that he was moving on and couldn't have any more contact with me. The clue that we were moving on was the breakup phone call. Apparently he had a delayed reaction or needed to have the last word. Last I heard he was heading to a retreat to learn how to be more of a man. He's going to need quite a few retreats.

This brings us to the man who would not stop talking about sex. He was a friend of a friend and a set up. Before we had even met he was sending me text messages telling me that I was hot, asking what I was wearing and one very cheesy Roses Are Red poem. Our date was at 4pm on a Sunday. I am not even sure what meal that is suppose to be. Dinner? Lunch? Delayed Brunch? I got to the restaurant a little early and got really annoyed when he kept texting me from the parking lot asking if I was in the restaurant and where was I exactly. I was at the front (at that hour it wasn't like the place was packed). We sat down and he proceeded to explain to me how open minded and sexually experienced he was. We hadn't even placed an order or gotten water yet. He then asked me if I had sex toys, if I was wearing a thong, if I found it hot to pleasure a man while he was driving (no I do not as I enjoy personal safety and arriving at my destination in one piece) and if I played my cards right I could go to Ireland with him this summer. It was at this point that I ordered a whiskey. A double.

He then proceeded to tell me, in great detail, his entire list of what he is looking for in a woman. By this point, I had a pretty good sense of what he was looking for but the items on his list were interesting. I kept pointing out the ones that were not me. He also kept calling me a "good girl" which made me feel like a golden retriever. The date finally ended and he then texted me at 5:30am on Monday to ask for a second date. There was not a chance in hell of date number two before the text. Waking me up on a Monday before my alarm went off just confirmed it.

Goodbye My Pretty Girl

Jack was indeed a pretty cat. She was not the friendliest but her black and white markings were pretty. When she was little, and she was a very small kitten, she had a perfect white ring around her black tail. As she grew, it dissipated a bit but you could still get a hint of it. She was also the first cat I ever got on my own.

I got her in CT. She was in a big bucket of fellow cow kittens and when I reached my hand in to pet them, she crawled right up my arm and perched on my shoulder like a parrot. I brought her home and she promptly hid under my bed for the next few days. I was under the impression that she was a boy, hence the name. Her first visit to my vet proved she was more of a Jackie than a Jack, but by that time the name had stuck. She was actually so small I once almost threw her away. She had crawled into a bag I was putting trash in and I closed it up and put it by the trashcan. About 10 minutes later I heard this tiny meow and there she was in the trash.

I had her for 16 years. Together we lived in 3 states, went through many boyfriends and moved more times than I can recount. The last big move from NYC to MA was a long drive due to traffic and she actually lost her voice because she had meowed so much. For about two weeks after that she could only squeak at me.
 
She was a good judge of people and once bit a boyfriend of mine on a place where men do not want to get bit. Given he was not a very nice person, she realized it well before I did. When my relationship with him ended, he got angry at me and threw her against the wall. She was not a big cat and I thought she was dead. Luckily she was ok.  My Irish temper certainly made an appearance that night. I never doubted her assessment of a person.

She loved corn on the cob. As a kitten she once pulled a cob from the trash and ate it clean. Whenever summer rolled around and I brought home corn, she was a very happy cat and would start chewing on the husks.

Her meow was much larger than she was. And for some reason every time I took a shower she would sit outside and meow at me until I paid attention. Then she would run out of the bathroom. I have no idea why. She would also meow if you were sitting in her spot on the couch. And she would keep meowing at you until you moved out of her way.

She was an excellent hunter. She caught her last mouse and promptly brought it to me in the middle of the night. She was so proud of herself and so loud. She woke me and the kittens up. I thought she might swat them away from her mouse but instead she nudged it towards them as if to show them what she had done. I did point out to the kittens they should pay attention as all future mousing falls to them!

I will miss her persistence that dinner was anytime after I came home. Didn't matter if it was 6pm or 2pm or if I just ran out to get the mail. And if I did make the mistake of feeding her early, she would be right back at her bowl at the usual dinner time as if she hadn't already eaten.

It all seems a bit surreal that she is not here. It was hard seeing the three bowls at dinner time. The kittens have been looking in all the usual spots for her. It was a comfort seeing how peaceful she was this morning. She had kidney and heart issues and she had been uncomfortable the last few days. It's always such a hard thing to do but she definitely told me it was her time. I am lucky to have a great vet.

So I go to bed tonight with one less pet. I know the tears will stop with time but I am not there yet. She was a good cat and though she was a bit grumpy, she was sweet as well. She loved her dog and was by his side when he died. His bed became her bed, which means I have the biggest LL Bean cat bed around. Thank you my pretty girl for being in my life for so long. I love you and miss you.