It's A Good Tired

Beautiful day.  Sunshine.  Warmth.  High 70s, low 80s.  Light breeze.  Just perfect.

Today was the day to power wash the patio, the exterior walls by the patio, the sliding glass doors (exterior), and the Adirondack chairs.

Gary added a cleanser to the power washer which worked really well.  Water pressure was great.  The green and brown gunk stripped off everywhere the powered water hit.

While he was washing the patio, I was working on the landscaping.  Sticks on the hosta plants.   Leaves matted on the shoots.  Pine needles stuck around the bases of the plants.  A few stems that needed to be clipped off.  

By the time he finished washing, I had raked out debris from the hostas in front of the laundry room and sewing room windows, then around the air conditioning unit under the master bedroom and futon room windows.  I also worked through the hostas (and lots of pine needles) along the outer wall of the kitchen/dining room.   Finally I pulled out leaves and sticks from the plants on the north side of the deck.  All of the debris went into one of the trash cans.

Earlier I had started pulling weeds in the flower bed on the east side of the deck.  I didn't get too far with that project, but I did pick up the piles and toss them into the wooded area by the creek.

After a late lunch I washed the inside and outside of the sliding doors from the patio into the living room.  Those, I think, were on the original part of the house and went from the dining area to the patio before the new kitchen and dining room were added on and the wall between the living room and kitchen/dining area was removed to enlarge the living room.  We never open that door.   In fact, I had never cleaned that door either.  In the winter we pull the drapes to aid in keeping the heat in and the cold out, plus eliminate the openness that the windows offer. No need for that in the dead of winter!  One of the cabinets sits in front of the sliding doors/curtains during the Christmas season too.

Now the patio looks sparkling.  Actually Hilary thought we had painted the boards white because they looked so clean!

All that is needed now are a few plants and maybe a small table.  It would be good to have a resting spot for a drink and a snack if one were to sit in the Adirondack chair in the morning and read before the afternoon/evening sun heats it.

A late afternoon shower was in order.  I remember Greta saying once that she really enjoyed working hard in the yard, getting super dirty, then washing off that dirt in the shower at the end of the day.  It feels SO good to do that!   

Late afternoon Hilary and the kids, then Megan and the kids stopped by.  The reason?   They brought an early birthday gift for me.  I missed our lilac bushes from the old house and I said that I would like to have a new lilac bush for my birthday.  That is what they brought for me.  Gary dug a hole by the pole where the dish is located south of the drive in front of the house.   Landon helped him plant it and Cooper helped put the dirt around the base.  It was a nice surprise, and the fragrance took me right back to the house west of Pulaski and the time of my birthday.

Dinner was leftovers.  We are both tired and I think we will both fall asleep early.  Blaine invited us to come over for a fire in the firering.  He and the boys are camping in the camper tonight.  But I am just tired.  I ache.  I hope I sleep well tonight.  

I am tired.  But it is a good tired.  We accomplished several things today.  And I crossed three more items off my BIG to-do list!