"Before" ... Part One

Last Friday, our terrier wandered out of the gate I carelessly left open. She's 15 years old, deaf and mostly blind, and I didn't even realize she'd exited the yard until I noticed the gate - just as a neighbor called to tell me he'd seen her walking back and forth in the parking lot of a church nearby, looking confused. She spooked when she sensed him, so he couldn't return her, but he wanted to give me a heads-up.

Too late. For three hours, the Big Lug and I walked and drove all over the neighborhood looking for her. Luckily, someone else was walking his dog during this time, around the park that abuts our area, and when alerted to the issue he made sure to inform the rangers of her disappearance, giving them our name and number in case she turned up. (No, she wore no collar - she has cysts beneath her chin and can't wear one ... which isn't usually an issue because she hadn't left the back yard in five years until Friday.) Anyway, we got a call around noon that she was safe but disoriented (I explained her age) and I went over and ransomed her back. She's stuck to me like glue ever since, even when I took these pictures. You just can't see her because she's attached to my leg like a burr ... except for the time I spent in the front yard, of course. But she's right behind the door, watching it with her laser-beam gaze, waiting for me to return - trust me.

Well, 'tis the day for the great Before. I must get this all down now because if I don't, if you can't see how bad things really are, I'm not sure I'll be as motivated to fix it all. Remember, I always do better when I'm held accountable.

And now, I present the high (or low) points:

The Big Picture first, from the front. Boring, boring, boring. Needs an inviting entry. Shrubs that don't give me a headache when they flower. Shutters. Maybe windowboxes. Much work to do - and that's not even counting the lawn. Is this a Desperate Landscape, or what?

A closer shot. It's winter, which means the frost has finally killed most of the plants. Not the thyme, of course - it's indestructible (and delicious). Look closely and you might be able to see how cracked all the concrete is - and you saw pictures of that driveway last summer. Needs replacement. And a couple of curves. A small patio as a "resting area." And a path from the street.

The east side. The windows (lying down) are what I thought was a creative solution for the rain that blows into the wells and seeps through the cracks in the basement walls just beneath the actual windows. It's not. I'm calling waterproofing companies to see who can address the seeping issue (preferably in trade, and hopefully without the need to involve an engineer). A pergola would be nice, too - maybe build in some plexiglass panels to shield the wells (if we don't decide to block them over completely). The rose stays (as per the Big Lug).

The view from our back porch.

The view of our back porch. Ma and Pa Kettle got nothing on us, huh? We're working on it, I swear. Storage would help. A new porch, for certain, and either a deck or a patio ... or both. Concrete will be easier and cheaper because I can recycle the driveway, play with the geometry, but, of course, that will also entail finding a grass that will grow on the soggy and shady north side. And yet, if we can find some recycled wood for a low deck, then block up the windows so rainwater won't follow the slope into the house ... get some ground cover to shield the footings ... or raise up the slope at the house and channel runoff toward the borders...

... And you wonder why I'm Artful Dodger Bunny these days, do you? Ah well. This is the outside of our home-to-be. Next time, the inside.

Be afraid.