Phil and I spent a couple of days in Two Holt's garden getting it ready for the return of all our favorite perennials. We raked up the old leaves and put on a fresh layer of pine straw. We washed pots and put them in place. We hauled a bit of wood scraps and two old rotten ladders to the county dump. We learned last year that we shouldn't plant annuals here until Memorial Day, but everything is ready for late spring/early summer planting! I look out over the empty garden and get excited as I think of what this space will look like in June! Just for my gardening records I snapped a few shots of the emerging perennials... Phil and I washed the birdbath and got it going for the birds. The birds have been feasting on peanuts and sunflower seeds we've fed them each day this week. I have enjoyed watching the chickadees, tufted titmouse, juncos, nuthatches, towhees, and cardinals flocking to Two Holt. It's been a great Spring Break, but now I'm ready to see Two Holt in all her summer garden glory--c'mon summer--Two Holt is ready!
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We went to see Highlands Town Planner, Josh, today to see how we can have our 500 square foot addition approved. Little Two Holt--600 square feet--sitting on a .42 acre lot...you'd think there would be no problem in adding on that 500 square foot addition, right? Wrong! We can only have 12% of our land covered with an impervious surface and when you factor in the driveway and screen porch, we're actually 200 feet over the regulation. Oops.
We have a few options: 1. Be content with what we have--even though the two bedrooms are 9x7 with no closets. That would be the worst that could happen and we could live with that option if we had to do so. But we are fairly certain we will be retiring to Two Holt and a little more space would be much appreciated. 2. We could sell Two Holt and buy something bigger...which neither of us wants to do since we've bonded with this place. 3. We could reclaim land by taking out our current driveway and parking pad. We could turn that into a landscaped sitting area with an outdoor fireplace or fire pit. I kind of like that option, but I'm not sure of the cost. 4. We could buy the lot behind us that is now on the market, but the owner wants a ridiculously high amount and our offer would be 1/2 of his asking price. That's not likely to happen even though it would give us the additional land amount needed to allow our building plans. So, for now, we will keep saving for an addition that might not happen. But I'm ok with that, too. Que sera, sera--and I will be content. It's Two Holt...how could I not be content? Spring Break at Two Holt is one of my favorite times. After hectic weeks at work, I get to escape to my most favorite place in the world. Phil and I alternate between relaxing, short drives, long walks, and ongoing projects. We started off by crossing a few of our easy projects off our to-do list like hanging the sign given to me by my staff at school on Boss's Day a few months ago. And we added the paver quote Phil painted a couple of months ago to the garden. Phil hung the gable trim he bought me for a Christmas present. What a job that was! I was afraid he'd fall off the slick metal roof at any moment. As you can see below, the results were worth his effort. The trim adds another cottage element to our little place. I found a plan on the Internet for building a garden arch and Phil agreed to take on that project. He bought two 10' 6x6s, two 8' 2x8s, one 10' 2x10, and wood screws at the local hardware/lumber store. First he notched the 6 x 6s to hold the headers. Then he used a bucket to help him draw an arc to cut in the end of each header. Next, Phil followed the directions found here to cut out two arched brackets. And then the real fun began! Phil dug a hole for each post. We set a post in each hole...oh my, how fun that was (can you sense my sarcasm?)--especially when a post needed to come out of the hole to dig out an inch more dirt and Phil was aggravated that I wasn't much help in pulling that 10' 6x6 out of that deep hole...but I digress...we DID finally get those posts set and Phil added concrete to ensure those posts don't go anywhere anytime soon! Next we set one of the header boards... And then the brackets went in... Finally Phil added the other header board and here's the finished product...isn't it beautiful? We will let the pressure treated lumber dry for a couple of months and we plan to paint it in July. Until then we'll be deciding on the paint color--white or gray? Which would you choose?
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Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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