Come and sit on my porch!

It's no secret that this household has never had a whole lot of money. The inheritance I received from my late aunt has allowed me to do some things that I could only wish for in years past.

I thought I'd show you some of what I've done in the last couple of years. It's not finished yet, because I still spend and choose things very carefully.

This is a picture of our little house. Notice the color - it actually glows in the dark! It used to have this huge old floor-to-ceiling double hung picture window. We replaced it last year with the bow window. Made a huge difference in energy bills for sure! We also put a two level deck on the front as I'm sure you've noticed. The deck was built so the upper part of the deck/porch just went over the existing old cement stoop. I've also got a gate on the lower deck so I can let the dogs out without chasing them all over the county.



I've had fun finding things here and there this summer, as I've fixed up the deck. We like to sit out there when the weather isn't too hot. We realized one day that we don't even know many of our neighbors because we're never outside in the front of the house. With seating, this gives us the option to sit out there, and have a cold drink, or actually, whatever we want!



And, of course there has to be a water feature. I'm not certain where I want to put a water feature in the back yard, so this soothes my need for the sound of running water.



I found this plant at one of the local farmer's markets. It's a purple wandering jew. The front shot of it is pretty, but when you see the sun shining through it, it's spectacular! I don't think the picture even begins to do it justice!





On the upper deck, I've planted a few herbs in this container. When they get a little bigger, I'll take some pictures of the plants to show you.



This is my little "pet". I thought he looked good sitting on the step. We named him Wilbur, of course. Wilbur is a good boy. He doesn't root in the mud, nor make any messes. But every morning when I back out of the driveway and glance over at the porch, I think there's a bunny sitting there! Poor Wilbur!



We're slowly coming up with plans to do some landscaping in the front of the deck. The big ash tree on that side of the house is dying - half of it is totally dead now. So, we're deciding what kind of tree might have to replace it; my latest thought is to put a red bud tree in as part of the plantings. It would provide a little shade eventually, but will give somewhat of an artistic flair, since they're generally shaped quite interestingly. But, landscaping will probably have to wait until next year unless we find one heck of a good deal someplace.

I hope you've enjoyed my little tour! Come over anytime! You're always welcome!