How does your garden grow...

I thought I knew a thing or two about gardening. I thought it was a-ok. But it wasn't until I started to design and create my own garden and put my hands in the dirt that surrounds The Nest that I really caught the gardening bug. The first sign was when I had Bill hold a flashlight for me while I dug and planted the first batch of plants after sundown. I just could NOT wait till the next day!

After weeks of digging, cutting, dragging, bundling, building, planting, watering, and just generally toiling, the front garden is pretty much done for now. It's hard to overlook the dramatic change to the appearance of the house and neighbors pass by daily and remark about the transformation and the work and care we have put in. I'm grateful! It's comments and cheerleading like that that help me stay focused on what we have accomplished instead of getting wrapped up in how much more there is to do. It can be overwhelming!

As soon as all the overgrown brush was cleared, I started dreaming up the plan for new plants and flowers. Here's what's been planted so far: 

Meet Jackie, she's a Weeping Cherry Tree and the Queen of this garden. A gift from my mom. The same species that we had in our front yard in the home where I grew up. 

Fragrant Lavender at the base of the staircase. 

Forget Me Nots that will love the shade of the Cherry. 

A line up of stunning flowering perennials: Lily, Shasta Daisy, Bee Balm, Echanasia, and Fox Glove, choreopsis (not pictured) and some Ajuga for ground cover. 

And finally, Todd. A Juniper Tree. Named after our amazing Real Estate Agent Todd Denman. 

I've learned so much about the art of gardening in these past few weeks. Although there is plenty more to learn! Mostly from my mom, one of the greenest thumbs I know. But also from the neighbors stopping by to chat and share ideas. My favorite moment was coming in from a particualrly long and hot shift in the garden, during which I had been chatting with all the neighbors. I looked in the mirror and saw this!! 

Just one of the side effects of that good ol' sweat equity!

Here's a little before, during, and after tour:

Just when I thought I had run out of garden projects for season, my mom brought over a few packets of bulbs. Those first precious flowers that come up in spring have to be planted in the fall before the ground freezes. So, as they say, the work is never done. But it's so worth it!

We Are Fa-mi-ly! 🎶

This past weekend my cousin came to visit! And by visit I mean... WORK! My mom is one of seven children and my dad is the middle of three, so I've got lots of cousins who I love dearly. But Megan... Well, I'll just say it... She's my favorite. Out of all the cousins, we are closest in age. So we sat at "the kids table" together. We played endless games of make-believe at the beach (we were the best mermaids ever!) And we have enough random inside jokes to make anyone groan. She's got the truest heart, so when she offered to come help with the house in a Facebook reply, I knew she was serious!

Megan knows her stuff when it comes to building. Her dad (my uncle) is a contractor and has taught her a ton! Bill was even impressed, especially when his drill burned out and she quickly offered "I've got a cordless in my trunk, wanna borrow it?"

Megan, my mom, Bill and I had a solid "to do list" dreamed up for the weekend. We wanted to paint the front porch, expand the driveway a few more feet, lay mulch and build a retaining wall in the front garden, and finish clearing the backyard of brush and debris. Makes me tired just thinking about it! We also threw in a few bonus jobs, like staining a set of table legs for an antique oak table top I got as a hand-me-down, and clean the chandelier in the dining room. And guess what, we did it all!

First, we tackled the front garden. Adding mulch made it look much more finished. Mom put it perfectly: "it's like makeup for the Earth!"

Megan and my mom dug out a few more feet to make more space in the driveway. Hard work!

Bill built this killer retaining wall to keep the dirt in the garden and give us a good border to follow when the snow comes and we need to shovel. 

We started painting the porch. But I was very disappointed when my Cadet Blue came out looking like Cookie Monster Blue!!! I just couldn't convince myself to love it. So Bill and I went back to The Depot to have the color adjusted. 

While we were out, Megan and my mom disassembled the chandelier and ran the crystals through the dishwasher. Magically years of dust and cigarette smoke residue just dissapeared! Check out that before and after pic!! Now it's officially dazzling!

Late at night, after mom left and Bill hit the sack, Megan looked at me and said "ok, what's next?" I laughed, but then realized she was serious. Not many people have a battery like mine and I was happy to take advantage of our momentum! 

We finished off the night staining the table legs so they would be ready for Bill to assemble later. 

The next day we added the second coat of paint to the deck. And the crowning jewel to the weekend, we finished completely clearing the backyard of brush! The swamp monster was defeated!

On Thursday we put all the bundled brush out on the sidewalk for the Trash Service. They took it all! 

Finally, as the sun was cooling off on Sunday, we cleaned up the tools and looked at each other. It was time for a treat. We had a nice trot down the street to the pizza place for cream soda and slices. Three cheers for a job well done!!

Having my cuz there by my side was yet another reminder of how blessed I am to grave such an amazing family. It reminded me of my mom and her sisters, how they show up for each other when it matters most. 

I remember when I was in high school and my mom was sick. My Aunt Carolyn (Megan's mom) showed up to help out. Not only did she give my mom a hand with the basics, but she also managed to enlist me and my brother to help her paint the living room walls! It's memories like that one, and the memories that Megan helped make when she visited that really make up the yummiest parts of life. 

It's Not Defeat....

The dryer: we were determined to conquer this one ourselves. When we did the walkthrough of the house we were happy to see that the previous owners left all of the large appliances, most of them in decent shape.There was a washing machine and a gas dryer hooked up in the basement apparently ready for use, and a second dryer sitting off to the side looking a little rough. We also brought our washer and dryer from the old apartment. The basement was starting to look like an appliance store! Except the stock was looking pretty haggard. 

We tried out the washer/dryer right away. After a few loads of laundry, mostly rags and other cruddy stuff from our epic post closing deep clean, it was clear that the dryer just wasn't cutting the mustard. It would turn on and get hot, but the clothes would never fully dry, so it took me a while to finally diagnose the problem. First I cleared out the exhaust tube which was well packed with lint, but it still didn't dry a load of sheets. Then it seemed like it was a sensor problem, but that wasn't it, the timed dry was just as bad. 

So I went to the books. My dad gave me this copy of the RD Fix-it-yourself manual when I got my first off campus apartment in college. It's come in handy over the years, but now more than ever!

After doing some research and detective work, the problem was clear. The dryer door was slightly bent, it still latched shut, but enough hot air was escaping that the dryer was useless. Obviously anything running inefficiently is no good for the environment OR the wallet, and by now the tenants had moved in and we were all anxious to use the laundry. We looked at the row of dryers and decided to try the one we had taken out of storage from the previous apartment. It seemed to be the most likely to work out of the two extras. The gas hookup would probably be tricky, but I figured we could handle it if we just went through step by step. Now, neither of us are plumbers, but I thought it was worth a try! Hooking up a gas line is like Legos for grown ups! Well, sorta. 

On a Monday night, I came home on a mission and Bill and I went to work. We turned off the gas supply to the dryer, an important first safety step when dealing with gas. Then we unplugged and unscrewed it from the power sources. The whole time we worked we had our noses on alert, checking for that unmistakable gas smell. At one point Bill had to spin the dryer on its belly to coax the pipes to let go. I ended up taking three separate trips to Ace, in rush hour! To get the parts we needed. Bill coated all the joints with plumbers goop and finally we were ready to fire her up. 

Woohoo!! She worked! I put in a load of wet towels and they were dry in no time. We were thrilled!! But when I opened the door there was that unmistakable odor. There was a tiny gas leak coming from inside the dryer. This has nothing to do with our install job, just the second dryer to prove to be trashed. We took a look at dryer #3 and decided to throw up the white flag and call a professional. As the tenant Matt put it, "it's not defeat, it's just a different solution." I like that. 

Then Craig's List saved the day again! I searched for Gas Dryer and happened upon an add for GAS Dryer Free Delivery, Installed. Yes, please. It wasn't long before I was in contact with Derron Darcy of Big D's and Little C's Appliances. He agreed to bring us a used/repaired Whirlpool Dryer, have it installed by a licensed plumber, and cart away the three junk machines for a great price. We made a date. 

The guys showed up a few minutes ahead of schedule so Bill was here to greet them. By the time I showed up 20 mins later the job was done and Bill and the guys were chumming around and bonding over their similar work vans. I missed this part but Bill said "he picked up those dryers like they were toothpicks!" Oh, and he was wearing flip flops. Before they left we had them give us a quote for installing a second laundry set up for the tenants, a job we will need in a few weeks. We will definitely have them back!

So, now we are back in business. We REALLY wanted to fix that dryer ourselves. But we gave it a good try, and there are just too many things to get done to tinker around for fun. It wasn't defeat, it was just a different solution. 

 

"Renovationasana"

Boy did this body need yoga. Even though I was up late hanging a hammock in the backyard (I ran out of daylight before I ran out of to-do list), I managed to make it to Karen's 6am class at Black Crow Yoga. The class she teaches is my class' twin in a way, since I teach the 6am on Tuesday mornings, so many of the students who attend are part of my regular yoga family. And as I always say when people groan when I tell them what time my class starts, it's a really wonderful time to practice. What a lovely way to start the day. 

I have been teaching weekly classes plus some extras. Like for example, I taught Black Crow Yoga's Island Flow  at Spectacle Island last weekend.

I love leading yogis through practice when I teach, but it's been a while since I really spent time on my own asana practice. That made today's class especially delicious. 

In every day life I am often in my head. Especially in my work which is very much brain focused. And so I practice yoga asana to bring my awareness in my consciousness into my body.

There is lots of yoga in house remodeling though. It's just a different kind. I've certainly had to use my breath a lot, from carrying things intelligently to stress relief. And I have noticed with all this physical work I feel very much "in my body". I've been more aware of how I am moving, aware of my physical strength and also my limitations, and so very aware of when my body needs rest. If you've ever felt your feet first hit the floor the morning after a weekend of landscaping, you probably know what I mean! It smarts!

I thoroughly enjoyed Karen's class today and felt energized and strong afterward. We did some fun and fancy poses, but my favorite parts of class today were when I chose to take child's pose and rest my forehead on the floor instead of following the flow. What I needed most was just some body TLC. 

This morning was just what I needed to remember the importance of slowing down and self care. It's been easy to fill all my time with important and relatively urgent jobs, like prepping the rental unit for the tenants and addressing gas leaks and so on. And slowing down has always been a growing edge for me. Especially now, it's hard to give myself permission to stop when every little job seems so crucial. But I know how important it is that I make time for rest this weekend. No matter how important "it" seems, it's not as important as getting enough rest, healthy food, water, and connection with people I love. 

Namaste. 

Bill the Builder

There's something really satisfying about building something that people will enjoy for years, something beautiful, something that just works. Bill gets to do this everyday on the job, and I got to see the process up close and personal as he skillfully rebuilt the back deck of the rental unit. 

The deck was in rough shape, but it had a lot of potential! (Seems to be a common theme around here at The Nest). Not to mention it was terribly unsafe, with rotted support beams and missing railings. So it was top priority since the tenants are moving in this week. I had no idea how much detail goes into building a deck! First Bill surveyed the situation. He called out unfamiliar words and numbers, like "4 PT four by fours" (that means four beams made from long lasting pressure treated wood) and I jotted down our stock list. Then we were off to Home Depot to gather the materials. 

Bill got to work the next day. Tearing out bug eaten beams and rotted peeling decking boards. He had to build strong supports for the stairs and platform, bring the railings up to code, and replace all the decking boards with brand new wood. It took a few days and I got to listen to him sing along to classic rock on the radio the whole time. Private concert anyone? By the time he was done the deck was super strong and sturdy and looked gorgeous! It needs a paint job but it's come a long way.  We hope the tenants love it!

It's really really REAL

Yesterday was offical move in day at The Nest! The day was not without its fair share of bumps and stress of course. Months ago I had hired movers off Craigslist (same guys I've used for my last two moves in the Boston Area) and secured my Uhaul rental... At least I thought I did. September 1 is known as the Great Musical Apartments Event in Boston. Due to the academic calendar many leases start and end at the same time and it seems like everyone is moving on this weekend. I arrived at the Uhaul center at 8:30am and apparently I had made my reservation for 7am pick up. They informed me that they had given my 10foot truck to someone else.... "What?!" I said. Apparently someone was supposed to call me, but I had not gotten any call. I'd love to tell you that my meditation and yoga practice has made me so centered and calm that I sweetly said "well that's a bummer" and began working on a solution. But that's not what happened. I had a melt down. I may have raised my voice a bit, and I definitely spent the remainder of my interaction with the Uhaul guy with tears streaming down my face. They were able to get me a much smaller vehicle to use, but only for a few hours before someone else had it reserved for the afternoon. I took the  keys and begrudgingly headed back to the apartment. The movers were no where to be seen. I finally called and somehow I wasn't on the schedule!! He said he could be there in a hurry, just give him a half hour. An hour later they had not arrived yet, they were on a bus coming from downtown though. And I could be found standing at the kitchen counter eating chocolate ice cream out of the carton. Why the heck not. 

Luckily my parents have a trailer that can attach to their van and they were able to come and save the day. Instead of making one trip with a big truck. We spent the day making trips back and forth with the trailer. Even Simon the turtle had to move (and I think he was even more stressed out than I was)

Finally at about 7pm the apartment was mostly empty and The Nest was full to the gills with boxes and furniture. Tomorrow I go back to clean and hand in the keys. It will be nice to have everything in one place, it's been tough to be in limbo for the past month. 

Theres still a lot of work to do before we have all the creature comforts! The stove needs to be repaired and the shower drain needs some rehab. But it's home sweet home!

Better than Crossfit

We were back at it this Saturday! Mom and dad came down from NH again and brought a heavy duty rototiller in the trailer. This time we also had help from our friends Matt and Lisa, they were superheroes I tell ya! I still can hardly believe how much they did yesterday and how hard they worked. The gave me such a gift!! I'm so grateful!

Since 40 Newman only had two off-street parking spots, and Arlington has an overnight parking ban, we needed to expand the driveway. Having a landscape comany come in and do this with a bobcat and trucks would cost thousands. There's only one other option, you guessed it, our own muscles. 

First we had to eliminate a 7 foot pile of brush and debris that we had built the first weekend we worked on the house. When we first cleared the jungle that was swallowing up the house, there was no where to put the junk we pulled up. Now it was resting right where we needed to excavate - let the disappearing act begin!

The town trash collector will take an unlimited amount of yard waste, as long as it's places in brown yard waste bags or bundled in three foot lengths. Lisa and I piled some of the stuff in my parents trailer to be sent up to the woods in NH. And what didn't fit, we chopped into three foot lengths, stacked in bunches on the driveway, and used packing tape to tie together. We had come up with a pretty good system by the time we could see the earth that was buried under the debris. 

 The whole front garden was completely rootbound, so first we pried up long snakes and whole carpets of tangled roots. We also had to pull up some large stumps from the front garden to prep for rototilling. The come-along worked well for this. Pulling a 100 pound stump out of the ground with human power is sadistically satisfying! 

Here's Lisa showing that stump who's boss! 

Then my dad fired up the rototiller. This machine is a beast! Once the large stumps and roots were removed, the rototiller could chew up any smaller stuff to make planting and more excavation possible. Seemed like there were two different reactons to this machine. 

But it worked well! And later my dad said the rototiller had belonged to my Grandfather (thanks PopPop!)

We started digging and made a wide square hole about 10 feet square in the back and about 4 feet wide and 20 feet long in the front. I will need to call a landscape supplier on Monday to have them deliver a yard of crushed stone to create the driveway extensions. I still will have to spread it!

This was one of the jobs I was most concerned about. I knew it was going to be hard, but having Matt and Lisa pitch in was extremely helpful. And of course my parents too. We pulled it off and I'm really proud of us! Now we are all limping and sore. It sure was a great workout!