The deconstruction of a reconstruction

or.....a day-by-day description of my kitchen renovations.

This is week two of the gut-and-rebuild of my little kitchen.  I have disliked this kitchen ever since I first saw the house.  For years I lived with farm kitchens where the kitchen table becomes the gathering place, and getting used to a teeny 1970s galley kitchen/laundry room took some doing.

Before

And while I have lived without a dishwasher for the past 7 years, I confess that my hatred of dirty dishes piled on the counter (and of washing them by hand) was a huge motivating factor in deciding to go for a reno.  While I may have some handywoman skills at building fences and fixing barns, they do not extend to kitchen renos so I hired people.

Week one was very slow.  V e r y   S l o w .  V e r y    V e r y  S l o w.

Day One:  They removed the cabinets.
Two and one half hours.
And yes, that is mold on the back wall (yuck!)

Day Two:  They removed two pieces of drywall
Twenty minutes.

Day Three:  They removed another piece of drywall
and cut the pass-through.
Forty-five minutes.

Day Four:  Electrician came to do some rewiring....
and discovered my electrical system is archaic.
Five hours, and I've added another project 
('Have all electrical fixtures replaced') to my 'to do' list.
Home ownership doesn't come cheap.

Day Five:  Electrician came again and cut hole for new potlight
as well as replacing some (archaic) boxes etc.
Three hours.

Meanwhile, during the same week, I finished making my boxes for my Square Foot Gardening;  painted an old ladder red to make something pretty to attach the squashes and cukes to (for vertical growth);   painted a bunch of old tires red and yellow, ready for growing lots and lots of potatoes (when the tops get a few inches above the tire, you pile on another tire, fill it with dirt until the tops just show,  and repeat and repeat.).

Square Foot Gardening,
with a splash of colour!

I fertilized the flowers, mowed the very-fast-growing new back yard lawn, built the sides and end pieces for the 10' long planter that will go at the end of the new patio (I had ordered two five-foot ones from the nursery, until half the order came in and the price was more than double what I'd been quoted - now over $500!-  for about $50 of material and a few hours of labour - so I'm making it myself.).

Spruce side and end pieces ready for staining
Ten feet x two feet x two feet

I hiked with Eddie, picked up the new-to-me dishwasher, did home visits for two rescues, and finished the front garden, changing it from this:

BEFORE (last year)

to this:

AFTER:  A few plants salvaged, some new plants added,
and river rock and stones over landscape fabric to keep
the weeds away

I made some more of my photo notecards and matted photos for a couple of fundraisers, prepped some display materials for a Hearts on Noses information booth, and delivered them to a farm where two Hearts on Noses piggies are being fostered (and thanks, Kimberly, for taking care of the booth in Victoria this weekend!).

Kimberly chats with fosters Piggy Sue and Sophie Lyn

Two sweet farm dogs

The ducks discuss the stranger with the camera

I get my Piggy Fix!

Hmmmm.....What Eddie would look like with a red mask?

Eddie:  How about wiv a red meaty bone?

Oh, and I played around with the new camera, practising with the macro setting and various lenses.

And now we are on week two of kitchen renos - a four day week due to the Canada Day holiday Monday. 


Stay tuned.....the reno is supposed to be finished July 9th ....13th ....16th.  


Meanwhile, we survive with a microwave, a coffee pot, and paper plates in the mudroom.......  


And I'm finding out that's all I really need!  Sooooooo.......


I'm doing a $15,000 kitchen reno WHY?  

Happy Canada Day!

  

The Maple Leaf Forever

Last Canada Day, I posted a selection of my favourite photos  illustrating why I love this country of mine.  I figure that would be a good way to celebrate Canada Day each year, so here is a selection of my favourites taken since Canada Day 2011, in celebration of Canada Day 2012.

My Canada,

Where the waters are calm....

or gently rolling.....

or a little bit wild....

but always beautiful.....

be it foggy....

or clear.

And a walk in the morning.....

yields beautiful sights.....

like a brilliant red flower.....

or boats basked in sunlight....

and sometimes a mouthful of sand!

My Canada,

Where a hike in the woods...

uncovers beauty untold......

like trees mirrored in water.....

and bejewelled lichen decorating the trees; 

where mountains rise from valleys near oceans....

and communities rally to restore burned out historical trestles.

Where rainbows abound.....

and things made by humans blend in with nature.

My Canada,

Where sunrises inspire.....

and a drive into town takes twice as long as it should,
for the beauty demands that one pause......

to gaze at the landscape, in ghostly attire, 

Or dappled in sunlight, all mirrors and glass, 

and the setting of sun fills the sky full of fire.

My Canada,

Where a tiny back yard can yield a bountiful harvest, 

and a walk down back lanes finds fruit for the taking, 

like apples on boughs and grapes on the vine. 

My Canada,

Where the colours of autumn last into the winter, 

and butterflies rest on red hot pokers, 

where bullrushes burst with their fluff full of seeds, 

and Solomon's Seal drips alabaster flowers,  

Where geraniums bloom from March to November, 

And roses drink from the Fountain of Dew, 

while seed pods fly away on the breeze, 

as teasels bear witness against cedar fence.

My Canada,

Where fawn say hello as I drive down the road, 

And baby robins watch on as I click with my camera, 

Where peacocks appear in the heart of a city, 

and dragonflies smile with pixar-like faces, 

Where eagles fly high, ever watching their offspring, 

And my old dog and I share her last days on a beach. 

My Canada,
My beautiful home,
My Canada, 
The best place on earth.


Happy Canada Day.