May 28, 2021
May is always a busy month for us, and especially so this year. We enjoy our country home, and May is the month that makes or breaks the summer. If we don't have our outside projects finished or well in hand by the end of May, they won't get finished until fall. The triple-H weather of the Mid-Atlantic doesn't aid outdoor work.
Our major project for this summer was installing a patio work/cook area. We planned to purchase lumber and build the frame ourselves. We budgeted for barn-style doors and Formica countertops. We re-evaluated when we got to the home improvement center and figured the cost. It was substantially less expensive to purchase pre-made cabinets and paint them, not to mention it was also substantially less labor-intenstive.
We still have a few odds and ends to finish, installing the toe-kicks for one, but the station is completely functional. A lot of my gardening supplies are out of sight as are his grilling implements. Once we repair or replace, the power washer, I'll get the concrete deep cleaned. It's all to the good.
Today kicked off my annual vacation week. This is the only time I take off ten days straight. For the remainder of my vacation time, I take as long weekends. With this project all but done, I can kick back and relax. The most strenuous thing I'll need to do is water the peppers and tomatoes.
At least I say that now. I'm sure we'll come up with something else to do. Maybe we'll do a little pruning around the edges of the yard, or work on the little shooting range we want to create. We should take an afternoon and detail the vehicles. I'm in the home stretch of another story, the third in the Centerville Muscle series, and now that the cover is finished, I plan to wind it up.
But if we decide all we really want to do is relax on the patio, we have a great space to do it in. And at mealtime, we can dine outside protected from mosquitoes and with a clean surface upon which to fix our burgers.
That's what all the hard work was for, after all.
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KC Kendricks
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