How Firm a Foundation

To the left of the tree in the adjacent lot, there is a low spot that forms a very large puddle during heavy rains. At the lowest point it is about 12" lower than the middle of our yard. Our yard was being drawn down into this hole.
The ground elevation at the back corner was good and equal with the elevation at the tree. In between the tree and the back corner the ground drops about 8".
Nature was making all this ground unified. It was a great habitat for mosquitoes. I have stepped in and imposed my wants. I felt a little nervous exercising a little will- power to accomplish these things. Maybe I had a little fear that I did not really know what I was doing. But I felt very sure that I needed strong buffering between us and the lot next door in order that we may control of our space independently.
I am satisfied with these improvements. I am still happily surprised at how this work has improved the quality of life for us.

Foundation

This is the stuff. It is called "screenings". It is a byproduct in the making of gravel. I paid $340 for a 16 yard load.
In searching for this material I called around and finally found an ol' boy named McCowan with a top soil, sand and gravel business.
When he came to look things over we got to talking and we found he and I had a mutual connection with a nursery business I worked in right out of high school. He had trucked in the extreme high quality potting soil for the rose season in the year of 1977. He remembered it because his dad had been off working a job out of state. I remembered never having seen such high quality soil before or since.
What is important is that he may have been a little more expensive, but his knowledge of materials and his contacts and his willingness to help out made his services invaluable.
I needed to get the screenings in before the fence. A couple of weeks later, after getting my Certificate of Appropriateness, I made the decision to set things in motion by scheduling the fence installation and ordering the screenings. Mr. McCowan showed up in his enormous dump truck within an hour of my calling his wife and placing the order.
Now you may be tempted to think, "No big deal." But let me tell you 16 yards of gravel makes one giant pile.
McCowan listened to me carefully and I saw he understood the nature of my project. He climbed up in the cab of his truck and dumped two long piles along the side and back just inside where the fence would go, maneuvering under power and telephone lines as he went. Later as I was getting my physical therapy moving and spreading the stuff in small pinches in my wheelbarrow I would quietly utter prayers of thanksgiving for the help of such a capable and caring man.

The Certificate of Appropriateness

This backyard project marks my new beginning. When we decided to definitely install the fence I had to draw up clear cut plans. Budgetary concerns demand clear cut plans. Who was it said that only a fool would begin to build a house without considering if he had the wherewithal to finish it? Because if he couldn't finish it his neighbors would laugh and call him a fool.
A clear cut plan was also required by the Historic District Commission for approval. You will know whether you can succeed or whether you will fail without spending any money. Just consult your plan.
The plan which I submitted for approval contained the following:

• The application for a "Certificate of Appropriateness" from the Historic District Commission. (Carefully and neatly done)
  
• A copy of the estimate to build the fence. (We chose one builder of three that submitted written estimates.)
• A scale drawing of our lot and house with the proposed fence and gates drawn on it.
• Five color photos of the back yard with the proposed fence sketched on them.

We received our certificate within a week and in the letter the Commission Director, Sandra Taylor Smith wrote: "...your application for COA for fencing was the best, most complete application I have received in a long time. I think I will use yours as an example of how to complete an application! Thank you for taking the time...I really appreciate it."
I did receive some advice from neighbors concerning the COA process and all of it was bad. I made the application as I saw fit. I wanted my project to succeed.

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day

Does the story these pictures tell provoke you to think?
The first picture, the one with the blue tarps, was taken when I first laid the bricks as a way to store them and still get some use out of them.
The second picture shows how poorly that idea held up after only two years.
The last one is with the screenings spread about 6"-8" thick. That's what I really wanted from the start, but I couldn't afford to do that. It all worked out for the best, though.
My master plan has me installing some kind of concrete tiles or pavers on top of this excellent foundational base material after the back of the house is remodeled. That plan is to remake the kitchen and master bedroom.
I estimate that to extend the kitchen and remodel the bedroom there, adding a nice bath, we should be prepared to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $75,000. That much money may take awhile for me to accumulate, so until then I will keep working on my plans.
I want to say that I believe projects should be finished and enjoyed. This project was the fence and patio. It is finished, but in another sense it will never be finished. The changes come about after a certain amount of planning, then finally a burst of energetic work to make the plan come to life.

Progress Since Late Winter

The three pictures in this post show what has changed in our back yard since late last winter. I took the first photo as part of our application for a "Certificate of Appropriateness" for a fence. We live in the Argenta downtown historic district and the Historic District Commission gets the final word on any improvement projects here.
After the fence was installed I took the second photo. The third photo I took after I finished spreading the 16 yards of gravel, or screenings, as it is called.
I have moved the stack of bricks four times now. When we first got the house some were piled on the side of the house and others were laid as a drive in back. I figured that they would be out of the way where they are now, and it makes an architectural feature.

New Direction

My Sister, Adele, has encouraged me to post things on my blog about the work I've been doing in the yard. I haven't posted in a long time. Last year I suffered a disabling back injury and now I am coming back. The yard work is my physical therapy.
Since my career as a painter is over, I have updated my blog to reflect my new life.
Becky and I are different in that I will think for a long time on things and make these plans that are way too complicated and she is more spontaneous. I can go into mind-numbing, eye-glazing detail. This is my blog and that is what I will do as I document the progress we make in transforming the weed lot that was our yard into a garden of Eden, as my sister puts it.
However, I will take my wife's advice and use fewer words in fewer sentences to make my points.
I hope the reader will enjoy.

DeGray Lake Campout

Becky and I went camping last weekend at DeGray Lake. We spent Saturday and Sunday nights. We came back Monday afternoon, taking the long way home and we stopped to see some sights along the way. Saturday night there were few camping spaces available at the state park. The space we got was not level. It had an odd pitch and as we sat around the fire our chairs were at an odd angle. It was even worse in the tent. Sunday morning we had slid off the bottom right corner of the air mattress. Our neighbors played rap music well into the night and there was a large group of campers who partied late into Saturday night.

Sunday when I walked to the bath house, I knew Becky would propose that we go home a day early. I had the thought that since we were staying Sunday night that a better camp sight may open up. I was right, she did mention that we could just go home. But she also suggested we check to see if any better sights opened up. The first sight was in the dense woods. The new sight was right on the lake. It was perfect. These are some pictures of the site. We had a lot of fun that night. I want a tent we can stand up in without stooping and have room to move. The air mattress was not comfortable, either.

I started a new job and that is why I haven't had the time to post. I am the captain of the Argenta Downtown Clean and Green team. I have been reworking ornamental plant beds up and down Main street. I've been thinking how gardening is like governance. I'm working on a post about that. Coming Soon!

Thank you for reading my blog. I promise to write stuff that is interesting for you.