Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Cold weather is upon us once again and all the pretty flowering plants Carlene has been nursing along are in danger. We started working on our landscape in February of this year, and the majority of the hard work is almost completed. We set out to build some hardscape flower beds and upgrade our porch, as well as some trim on the house. Most of this work was beyond our skills and abilities, not to mention a bit more strenuous than our elderly bodies are willing to allow. There are a few more items on my original list, but the big items are pretty much scratched off as completed. Unfortunately, the seasons are changing, and it is not time to be filling the flowerbeds with beautiful plants yet.
Where we came from in California, there are basically only two seasons, sun or rain. We didn’t have to worry about freezing weather or snow and the heat was not as hot as it gets here, so our knowledge of plants that can be happy living in Oklahoma is a bit limited. But we are learning and have had some success through the summer months. We’ll see how well they make it through the winter.
As much as we loved this house when we bought it, there are always things you want to change to make it your own. That is what we have been doing, and we set aside some money to get that done. Last year did not work for us, as I spent most of the year trying to get over breaking my wrist when I slipped on the ice. While we made some great progress this year, there are plenty of other projects lined up to make us feel like it is the home of our dreams. We may never get everything done, but we can chip away at it by simply prioritizing what is most important to finish. We never know how much time we have left, but there is no hurry. We are certainly content with what we have already. None of these items are in the “have to do” category. As a matter of fact, none of the improvements we accomplished this year were critical.
I was lucky to find a group of handy men that have the skills and abilities to make right what was done sloppy. Some of the trim was flimsy tin instead of wood, and that has been corrected. The porch railing was weak and they fixed that. Some of the vinyl siding was broken and that was repaired. My backyard shed was run down, and they fixed all of that too. I got some cement work done and now have a sidewalk where Carlene’s mom can get some walking done. I also made it easier to mow the grass and edge it. We had a patio cover built over our patio outside the kitchen entry. We can now go outside when it’s raining and not have to walk through a waterfall to get there.
All of that was small stuff compared to the focal point I had envisioned for our backyard. We have two large trees, and they were surrounded by a wooden raised flower bed. The wood was rotten, and it was difficult to mow around. That is where I put the sidewalk. It completely encircles the trees and for the raised bed, I designed a block wall that will contain lots of plants to give us something beautiful to look at. I had to adjust my original idea when I started placing the blocks. What I thought would look good didn’t, but what came out as the end product looks even better. It is truly the focal point of our backyard and will only get better with time as we fill it with appropriate plants. We are not in a hurry to finish this, as we have no intention of ever moving. While I placed every one of those blocks, I was followed by a mason craftsman to make sure they are secured with mortar where needed and level. I did let Carlene place the last block. We still have a few items to finish, but getting this hardscape done, and done right, is a significant accomplishment. A big thanks goes out to Donny and his crew of craftsmen for getting done the things that we do not have the skills or abilities to do on our own.
