Switching the Old for the New

It's been a while  - and I've been busy.
Back in my "old" home, making it new.
It's been 16 months since my return.  A year and a bit of reacquainting myself with my home while enthusiastically discovering all the changes a neighbourhood naturally goes through in the 3 1/2 years, I'd been gone.
I told myself to wait a year.  A full year getting my bearings back, enjoying my space once again, before taking on any renovations.
Ha! That certainly didn't happen!

Two months after my return I hired an electrician to replace a faulty electrical panel. Then I found mice in my kitchen cupboards! Yuk! I immediately hired Skeddadle - a humane wildlife control company (not an exterminator).  Their way of fixing the problem was to seal up the outside of my house, so mice could not enter.  So far so good.

Then, come spring, I decided I'd had quite enough of my awful-looking grungy garage floor.
It was time to do something about it.
I called a local contractor to pop by for an estimate. He and his crew advised that the best course of action would be to break up the existing floor and pour a new concrete floor.

Mulling that over (did I really want the mess and noise and expense of that?  I thought they could just resurface the old one), I figured they knew what they were doing and since a cement truck would be here anyway, why not pour me a new front porch?

The old one was starting to crumble with age. And should really be extended right to the siding on the house. There was nothing but a patch of dirt (to the right of the door facing it), where nothing would grow because of lack of sunlight.

It was a huge project, as the stone front walk needed to be repaired. I also had a new pathway constructed around the side of the house.  Well, as long as the contractor was here, had the supplies, might as well get everything done at once!  This was back in May of this year.

Looks like summer now - and this is my new front porch.  With new wider front steps.
Oh, and did I mention that I thought I'd replace the front door?
The old one was made of wood - yes very sturdy but rattled in the wind and let in the cold air. I'd had several handy-men in to see if they could make it fit better, change the hardware, but nothing worked, so I did my research, got in a few estimates and made up my mind.

I hired a reputable "door and window" company to replace the double door with a single one and 2 side panels. Lots of glass for letting in light and the decorative metal for a bit of privacy (you have to really put your face to the glass to peek in) and to make it look fancy.

I'm very happy with the results!

Yes, there are still more renos to tackle, but for now, I'm just enjoying my comfy home.

Deep Freeze

We're in the middle of a deep freeze.  Minus 25 Celsius today. Yesterday I bought spring flowers to brighten up my windowsill and lift my spirits.  Spring will come, but not today.

Basking in the sunlight - at least the sun is bright today - tulips are happy!

Still sleeping

Wake up, Baby Daffodil and meet your family.

Already open and curious to see the world

"One day, you'll grow up to be just like me!"

Should be a little warmer by Monday.  Whew! What's it doing in your part of the world?

What do you see?

We've had an unseasonably warm winter this year.  But considering the severity and harshness of the past two, we were due for a mild, balmy winter.

I missed walking out on my back deck these last few years, but now I'm back  -  and even though it's winter,  the first thing I do early mornings, is step out, coffee cup in hand, breathe in the fresh air and have a look around.  

Anything new happen overnight in my backyard?  The neighbours? Not usually.  Unless it's early spring or summer - and then there's always something new in the garden! 

Yes, snow on the ground, but not much.  Icicles hanging, dripping from the roof. Everything quiet.  The quiet that comes with heavy clouds which seem to mute all sound.  

But what's that on my garden shed?

There is a Christmas wreath on the door, but what's that water mark?
I'd love to hear your comments.  And then I'll tell you what I thought it looked like!