Keepin’ it Clean

 

One of our Field of Despair finds

 

Around the time we were having Dead Tree taken down, we built our laundry room.
My mom and dad gave me a wonderful washer and dryer for christmas, and we had our work cut out for us before they could be anything but art!
They’re quite lovely – front loading, stacked and, well, awesome!  I can’t say thank you to them enough (mom and dad – I’m not sure the machines are sentient. They do sing though. Nothing too complex, but they’re young)

Have I mentioned that part of the reason I’ve not been updating this often is that I’ve been working. . .a lot? I think it’s made me even more giddy than normal.

Ok, so. . .Easterwood and Thomas put in the plumbing for our washer and a utility sink. Thomas and his dad moved a pole that was in the middle of the room, put in a tile floor and scooted our water heater further into the corner.
Then we put up sheetrock on one wall and painted the entire room.
Then it was time to put in the washer and dryer!

oh, wait. Then we moved the water heater back in place and found that it didn’t care for that and died. So off to Home Depot for a new one.

Then it’s time to put in the washer and dryer.

Oh, wait – I forgot about putting in the plug for the dryer. More Home Depot trips for that.

Now! Putting in the washer and dryer. I think that was it.
We’ll, except that the dryer didn’t work. But eventually we got Sears to bring us a new one and take away the defective one. After many, many phone calls, a few visits, and a bunch of parts. But they did bring that new one at 8am on a Sunday morning. . .And it works like a dream.

It’s getting nicer and nicer to do the laundry too, the further we get with the work downstairs. The warmer weather helps too. We got the new(er) dryer about a week after the new year. 

I threw in some shots of the wood chipper the tree guys brought with them – it’s still there now. Thomas spoke to a couple who are supposed to be closing on the house next door, but we’ll see. I wonder if they’ve noticed the big red monster in the back yard. . .

One of our Field of Despair finds

Our New Neighbor

Mr. Chipper

just, wow.

Happy Wall and Plumbing

Mud, Mud, Mud

Our Utility Sink

Faucet!

Merry Christmas!

Doing our first load of laundry

Small space, tons of cleaning potential!

Catching Up with Butter

 

Our First Christmas Tree with Dead Tree in the back

 

 

I know, I know. I said I’d update this literally months ago. So, let’s take a whirlwind tour of the past few months (yikes!)

Just before Christmas, we awoke to the sound of chainsaws next door. Thomas went to chat with the guys and was able to talk them into taking down our dead tree for less than half the estimate they’d given us a couple months earlier.
They were already out there with their equipment, that sort of thing.

So, Merry Christmas! We don’t have to worry about a tree taking out our house (or the neighbor’s) every time the wind blows!!!!
It was really bothering us – if we were in the front yard or on the porch there would inevitably come a silence when we were both playing a sort of horror movie in our heads, staring Dead Tree.

THe guys that took it down were definite pros – scary to watch, but totally in tune with the way of trees – dead or not. They took down four or five that Friday. Had a chipper with them and took care of all the little bits for us. Then they segmented the trunk and large limbs and piled them in our front yard.
All of our friends with fireplaces got seasoned firewood for Christmas this year!

We had a little casualty, however. The unidentified bush at the base of Dead Tree got smooshed. Well, half-smooshed.
It’s growing back nicely though – if  a little harsh edged. 

And now – Pictures!

Our First Christmas Tree with Dead Tree in the back

Our Cat! (plus two dead trees)

It Made a Really Big Boom

Halved Shrubbery

Crack!

Hollow?

Path of Destruction

Sawdust

Seasoned Fire Wood, Anyone?

Treescape

Taking Down a Tree

We have a dead tree in our front yard. It’s more than a little scary, so we thought we could take care of it ourself. Our friend Dave took one down – safely – in his backyard and he was pretty sure he could get ours down too.

Before

Working on Limb One

Safety First (ok, second)

Erin and I held the ladder next

Cleaning Up

Fun with Power Tools

Yeah, we (read: Dave) got two big(ish) limbs down and then realized that it was going to be bad if we continued.

Anyone know any good tree removal folks? Pretty cheap too?!