Before re-organizing it looked like this:
After organizing:
Organizing Wellfleet Backyard for Move
Category Archives: Home & Garden
Plants Galore
While I prepare plants for transport to my real home from the rental I got a call from a friend who said another friend of hers needed to purge tons of plants because his landlord has had it with his collection of plants. So to help keep this guy from getting evicted I was glad to be able to buy a ton of plants off of him, especially since some of them are plants that I can use inside and some of them are plants that I’ve always wanted to have in my garden.
This is the garden of a new friend after hundreds of the pots were already removed:
Vallejo Victorian Home Tour 2025
Highlights from the Madhatter Vallejo Victorian Home Tour:
After the Vallejo Victorian Home Tour, we always end up at a reception at Vino Godfather’s Winery on Mare Island. It was wonderful to spend some quality time with Shun. I actually met Shun on this home tour (we calculated) three years ago! For the second year in a row, I ran into Anne Carr too! I love the architectural details of this establishment, which used to be an officer’s quarters, much like the coffee shop next door called Quarters.
Wellfleet House Updates December 2025
Thanksgiving Wellfleet Progress
The back deck is near completion, although it’s still missing a step. Thanksgiving started out with my doing a little gardening, a little packing, a little moving (of outdoor items) with Shea’s help, and then I took pictures of the incremental outdoor progress on the house. Still zilch on the floors, doors, bathrooms, and kitchen, though. The brown trim painting on the exterior of the house doesn’t appear to have started either. I do love that the big back deck, which I will eventually cover again and turn into a lanai, is at a consistent height all the way out, but I don’t understand whether they intend to put handrails on either side, a step on three sides, or what. I think it’s safer to have a narrow step rather than the gradual reduction in height that existed before, which people constantly tripped on, despite the bright tape. I also noticed that the “path” between the plum tree and the porch is now narrowed, so I’ll have to remove whatever random growth is there so that there can be a walkable path without jumping onto the deck to go back and forth in the garden for humans and canines. How that will look after the lower step is added could make that a challenge. I’m also pleased that they replicated the width of the bedroom deck. Hopefully, the kitchen deck will make sense, too. I was not really consulted on any of these details, but so far I can live with the decisions that were made.
It also appears that there is less of an awning than before, so it should be easier to install the roof of the back deck and hopefully raise it, even if it has to come down at an angle a bit for privacy.
November Wellfleet Updates
Almost all of my plants are flourishing in my backyard of the house under renovation after the recent rains.
It warms my heart with a bit of nostalgia to see the dogs on the mostly complete back deck while I look at them from inside the slider, but it still feels like there is so much still to be done.
This is probably the most extensive internal tour I’ve filmed in months. I’m still shocked at there being no new flooring, no doors, no bathroom construction, or even the beginning of the kitchen build. On the bright side, almost all of the light switches and electrical plugs appear to be wired, including the laundry hookup and bathroom vents. I don’t think I’ll be living there even at the two-year mark in January, which makes me sick to my stomach. I feel like I’ve been played like a pawn, forced to live in a rental for so many more months than necessary. Houses were built from scratch much faster, but when you’re constantly waiting for red tape from the insurance company that slow-walks the paper checks, it’s no wonder everything takes longer than necessary while I suffer.
My Koi Pond Green house is coming along. The external base coat is done, and the back deck is mostly done. The tan trim is yet to be done, but they even painted the siding that survived the fire, which is encouraging. I do love the brown color of the deck, and it’s composite, so much more waterproof than the wood deck I previously had, which was always deteriorating. Under the composite, Shea said there is copper-treated wood which will also last a lot longer.
Koi Pond Green Painting Starts
I wandered into the back garden of my house under renovation early this morning. I was so pleased at how my lemon tree and the bamboo have come back to life after being on the brink lately. They’re fine now, in large part due to our significant rains recently. Only upon descending from the lookout area of my backyard did I realize that the painting of my house in the koi pond green that I requested had mostly been done already. I wasn’t aware that it had started because the siding wasn’t quite done in the front of the house. I’m so pleased with the progress and the color. It will look even better with the dark tan trim. I want the house to reflect the browns and greens of nature. Green, the color of life, is my favorite color.
For those who are skeptical that wild turkeys can fly, look how high up they are on this two-story house in my neighborhood. This video was primarily intended to showcase the progress of the siding on the front. I think there was a supply chain problem, so it isn’t quite finished being sided, but this is the very last piece that needs it. The part with the dots is ready for painting, which is why the frog tape is on the windows.
Because of the extreme fog, my getting up at 530am on a Saturday to row with the team was cancelled at the last minute, so I went over to check on my house being renovated. I always love the attack of the turkeys in the mornings that come from Benicia State Park which my street is adjacent to.
End of October Renovation Update
Some of the sockets and light switches have been installed in the house. I picked out the color for the back decks. The gazebo in the side yard to go over the hot tub was rebuilt. They caulked the siding on the house, although the front of the house still lacks some siding and needs the front door installed. I’m still waiting for floors, kitchen build, and bathroom builds. Whether the back decks are built before I move in is not critical.
I also manually pruned the tree/bush that keeps growing into the windmill.
Rebuilt Swing
Siding Done on Outer Side Yard
I also trimmed the damn persimmon tree that was about to break my fence by hanging so heavily on it. Surprisingly, my lemon tree is coming back to life after being near death. The bamboo is turning back to green again. The gazebo appears to be ready to be put back together soon, also, now that the siding is done here.
