So in the past two days, we’ve had two contractors at the house. What?! I thought renovations were done for the summer? Well, yes and no. Here’s the deal: we found carpenter ants by the old decrepit back deck. It appears that Mother Nature – or more accurately – a horde of ants has decidedContinue reading “Wait. What?! (Another renovation saga)”
Author Archives: gmayeaux
Priorities…
I tend to spend a lot of my time – both emotionally and physically – on the mundane. Dishes, grocery, vacuuming, mowing, kitty care… they all have to be done and my head goes there. This new life that I’ve carved out where I work a few hours most days but then focus on homeContinue reading “Priorities…”
When a tree falls in the woods…
Saturday was one of those days I typically dread. It’s what my husband calls a “chainsaw day”. Now, I don’t love the chainsaw in the first instance. Growing up in a rural area, it wasn’t often but periodically a chainsaw caused a serious injury. Even my husband, who is the poster boy for safety first,Continue reading “When a tree falls in the woods…”
Give me a year.
I saw a couple of old friends the other day as I was leaving the hair salon. For me, it was the first haircut I’d had in over a year, having generally been too busy to get one. For them? They were doing good work – planting flowers down Main Street in our little villageContinue reading “Give me a year.”
The day I re-evaluated.
It has been a fabulous four-day weekend for me. The weather until today has been absolutely fabulous for a solid week. The garden is largely in – just direct seeding left – and I’ve managed to keep enough of a lid on home, garden and yard that we are going into tomorrow – the firstContinue reading “The day I re-evaluated.”
Plants are in the ground!
There are a few markers in our life that are largely driven by the calendar. There is, of course, the holidays and the fact that I like to celebrate the entire holiday season including Halloween all the way through New Year’s Day. Then, there is the winter-into-spring calendar when I obsess over when the snowContinue reading “Plants are in the ground!”
Going underground…
It’s high planting season around here and that usually means a mad scramble to get the 450 or so plants we put in the ground taken care of. At present, we obviously have the 50 garlic (planted last October) growing and have planted 200 onions and about 75 potatoes. What’s next? We’ve got about 25Continue reading “Going underground…”
Tales from the renovation crypt
Now that the house and yard are nearly done from a whole-property, gut-job renovation, it feels like a good time to take a pause and think about the past – ahem – almost 10 years and what we’ve learned from nearly a decade of renovation. But to start, I will say this: while I absolutelyContinue reading “Tales from the renovation crypt”
When it rains…
Lately, Mother Nature has been on a tear. It has rained the kind of rain that farmers love once the garden is planted – a gentle, consistent rain almost every day. That means that the forest behind us is already filled in and a responsible citizen could mow the yard every 3-4 days. But let’sContinue reading “When it rains…”
Slipcovers anyone?
So, I have these four adorable cats. (Yes, I do know I’m just three shy of crazy cat lady.) Each of these sweet fur babies has a sad backstory. Essentially, they all came to be our pets because we found them wandering repeatedly in our backyard and eventually made friends through food and a littleContinue reading “Slipcovers anyone?”
The Yuppie Homesteader 