2023-2024 Lookback

Backyard Work

We built cold frames for our raised garden beds to keep creatures from digging in our beds and eating our produce - they've worked well thus far! We didn't end up covering the frames with plexi or tarp this winter but will experiment there in the future to extend the growing season. We also had a little bird sculpture that started to disintegrate, so we made it into art by adding a mosaic around it on the table top and then using epoxy to enclose everything and affix it to the old side table.

Creatures

Our adventures with creatures (animate and otherwise) weren't limited to these, but it's a good sampling of what we encountered. The parasitic wasps on the back of the tomato hornworm was a pretty hideous discovery, to be honest. So gross. I didn't care for my close encounter with the spider either. The sweet potato's just hilarious because it looks like a squid.

Kitchen Window

Eartha did some work on our kitchen window sill during a storm, or maybe it was fireworks. We learned how to patch it up as a result!

Mudroom

The mudroom was completely uninsulated and sloping, so we got help finishing that up so it'd be a more useful extension off of the kitchen. Jorge Govea and his team did a great job and even cleaned out the crawl space underneath, which gave Rae and me a boost when it came time to seal and insulate that area. Jorge and team did all of the upstairs work, and we did the crawl space ourselves.

Bathroom

We upgraded our vanity and sink fixtures in the bathroom and are very happy with the outcome.

Back Stairs

The back stair planks were rotting, so we replaced them. It was an adventure involving a reciprocating saw, oscillating multi-tool, sledge hammer, and crow bar for removal. Putting the new ones in was a lot less effort than removal.

Exits and Arrivals

In early 2023 we said goodbye to Bonecrusher, AKA BC, and then Vanya passed mid-2024. Eartha was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in autumn of 2024 and was a very cute tripod up until her end right around the start of new year. As that last door closed, a window opened with Raven, our new and only housemate going into 2025.