My contractor had suggested leveling this cemented corner area and also creating defensive space where this old rose bush is on my house under renovation (after the fire). I reluctantly said yes to the cement since I knew it would make the house safer, and that is my number one criteria for all decisions after the trauma of what I lost, of course. Today I was surprised, after seeing the rose bush had been cut back to almost nothing by someone who was probably doing construction around that area, that it bounced back with plenty of buds. Even more good news was that recently the contractor clarified that he had no intention of killing the rosebush, but simply moving it to a different location, so to the front yard I believe it will go!

I had been wondering if the clippings I got from Monique were still alive. Well, these gorgeous, long-stem pink flowers that I forgot the name of are back, so I got my answer. These bring me such joy!

I’m so pleased that the cover to my beloved hot tub gazebo is now back in the backyard and not on my front yard where it had been sitting for a few weeks even after the chain fence had been removed. This kind of progress is heartening!

I had to insist that the frosted window in the main bathroom be replaced with clear windows. These windows are opposite the mirror above a double-vanity and I have plenty of privacy in that bathroom, which is going to be redesigned to have a separate water closet anyway, which is through another door. It will take several weeks, but these windows will be replaced with what I had before.

I keep bringing outdoor decor and gardening supplies back to my house under renovation regularly. I now have the gates reinforced. This way I don’t have to move numerous extra carloads when it gets closer to my move-in date, and I can start to rearrange my garden decor and plants as I go, so I have less work to do when I move home. I’m careful to keep all the fragile items in a place that will not be moved by the contractors and the less fragile items which they have up against the fence I am not concerned about falling off shelves when I’m not around.

I moved more crates of supplies today, which also helps to declutter the backyard in the rental. I’m always making tweaks to my home garden when I stop by, and today I brought my dogs and the two fosters. I pruned some branches and cleared the grounds of the lookout by moving branches into the bamboo “forest” so that the birds will hopefully pick up those branches and make nests, but most importantly I’m adhering to the chop and drop method, so that organic material is not constantly leaving my garden, but replenishing the soil and hopefully fostering the right plants to grow. I’ll still pull weeds, even if I let the nitrogen fixers linger.

Speaking of birds making nests, my favorite dove couple (I believe they’re the same one for years) made an appearance again today. At least one of them did, as you can see, resting on the fence with no fear of the dogs below. These doves are very special to me, as I’ve documented over the years. I have many pictures and videos of interactions with the dogs, but most importantly, they nested one year (obviously before the fire) in a wreath on my front porch. I intend to replace the wreath on the side wall of my entranceway with an even stronger one so that they will always have a place to raise their chicks without fear.

Shea visited the house under renovation again today when he was out and about. To my glee, the three sliding doors went in, as well as a lot of the windows.

After very frustrating delays, we swung by the house under renovation when a neighbor advised us that they were putting windows up finally, which includes sliders. I’m so relieved. Some of these pictures I took by putting my camera over the fence and had to look at them afterwards. Even the half circle above the front door is installed!

I continue my painting projects inspired by many DYI and upthrifting Youtube videos I’ve been binging. I love thrift store purchases and some of the haul I’ve gotten from Facebook Marketplace, but I’m also glad I didn’t discard every fire-damaged item. Many items I’m spray painting are damaged from that terrible day. There are many things when I look back at the fire damage pictures that I regret not pulling out of the debris pile on my driveway and from the soot-covered insides of the house, but I was living in a fog at that period.

The few things that survived the fire, even if they were in the backyard , often had lots of paint damage to them. A fresh coat of paint helps a bit, although I might redo some of the colors. The red is a little too bright for some of these objects.