I thought I was going to finish digging today, but I didn’t anticipate all the roots I was going to have to deal with. Or the humidity. My clothes were drenched when I came inside. I only have a little left to do, but I promised Christina we’d go paddling tomorrow, so it’ll have to wait. The footprint I dug is making it look real. Assuming I do it right, I think it’ll be beautiful when it’s done. It rained a little today, which is nice. Florida needs rain. Otherwise it was a slow day. We went food shopping – less than an hour from the time I got off the couch to the time I sat back down. Made fish sticks for dinner. Watching the Yankees game and trying not to get too mad at them for giving up the lead. I guess we’re all human.
Tag: patio project
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May 3
My hole is getting pretty impressive and starting to take shape. I measured out the footprint and for the first time I got a sense of what it will look like when it’s done. It’s going to be enormous. But I also think beautiful. I think one more weekend of digging and then I’ll be ready to lay gravel. Then the part I am most worried about, compacting. Billy doesn’t think I can manage a compactor. He might be right, but if I don’t do it, I will be compacting by hand for months. And then after that, I start putting down pavers, a little at a time. That will be the moment of truth for my measuring abilities. Then seal it up, and the fun part: putting up the tent, getting seating for the fire pit, setting up plants, and otherwise making it beautiful. It’s possible I could finish in time for my birthday. If it’s not 100 degrees that day, maybe we’ll celebrate on the patio this year. We’ll see! I’m inching closer.
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May 2
I had to throw in the towel early today because it started thundering and sprinkling. With bad weather predicted, it didn’t seem worth it to push my luck. Got a good bit done anyway. Christina had dance team auditions for next year and then we went out for lunch at the Loop. Afterwards we went to Myrna’s house to get some Penn State things she is giving away now that she’s moving. Some of the stuff she gave Billy is pretty cool. When we got home, the girls and I went to the mall for some shopping (I am a sucker and bought pretty much everything they asked for) and to get Christina’s ears pierced (second piercing). They look great! Long, busy day!
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April 27
Today I learned that lemons are a man-made fruit that does not come from a naturally-growing plant. I told Christina she was full of shit when she told me that, but Google says it’s true, so I guess it’s true. I also got the rest of my gear for the patio project. I hope these gloves work out better than the ones I’ve been using. I’m itching to try them out. Also today: Pinot got a haircut and half his ears were chopped away due to matting. He looks like a doofus. I went for a run this morning, which has not been as consistent an occurrence as it really should be. Having to crawl back to my old fitness level is boring, demoralizing, and frustrating. With no upcoming races, I have nothing to work towards, which makes running feel pointless. I’m going to need to find a way to make it interesting. All in all, though, not a bad day.
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April 26
Today’s work went faster than yesterday’s. I got into a rhythm with the roots and got twice as much done today as yesterday in the same amount of time. I think two more weekends of digging and I’ll be ready to lay the gravel. And then the part I’m most scared about… compacting. ChatGPT insists I can operate a compactor. Billy says I’m crazy to even try. I’m not there yet, but I’m going to need some kind of plan. Once I finished up this morning, I picked up Christina from her sleepover (which we dropped her off for two days ago). She had a good time. I spent the rest of the day doing chores… food shopping, laundry. Billy suckered me into baking cookies. Not a bad day, but tomorrow it’s back to the real grind. I haven’t run in a week. I’ve gotten quite inconsistent with my workouts and my eating, and it’s showing on the scale. Baking cookies today didn’t help. I need to find that mojo that I’ve had these last two years. I can’t go back to where I was.
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April 25
Started digging around the patio today. It was very slow going, thanks to the massive number of roots I had to dig around and pull out. Digging is so much easier than moving 10+ tons of building material. I felt like I could have gone longer, but I’m trying to pace myself. It’s exciting to see something starting to take shape, even if it’s just a small start. I can’t wait to get back out tomorrow.
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April 21
I’m feeling much better today than yesterday, although my hands and wrists are still very sore from gripping the wheelbarrow. Still, I’m very relieved and grateful that this part of my life seems to be mostly behind me. It’s not really an “If you can survive this, you can survive anything” kind of ordeal, but it was definitely a test of strength. Lord knows I have the willpower. I’m plugging away at work, trying to make the most of an unideal situation and prevent it from happening again. I think I am finally on the right track. I’m such a nerd that I want to work on it on my off hours. I’m enjoying the building process. However, despite everything else, I was beaten by today’s Saturday NYT puzzle. I mean, demolished. I can usually at least make a dent in it, but today it slaughtered me at my every move. I guess some days that’s just how it has to be.
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April 20
Everything hurts. My fingers, wrists, shoulders, back, arms, thighs, feet, toes… When I find a position to lie in that doesn’t result in pain, I don’t dare move. This weekend was the hardest work I have ever done in my life. It’s satisfying that I did it, but damn. I’m wrecked. It hurt to right-click my mouse at work. I slept from 9:15pm-7:15am and still feel exhausted today. No regrets, but I’ll be so thankful when I can hold a pencil without wanting to cry.
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April 19
I moved five tons of paver gravel today all by myself, except for the last half hour when I finally gave up and asked Robin to help. My body is just done. Every muscle hurts and I can barely keep my eyes open. This weekend was so much more work than I expected. I underestimated how much material had to be moved by over 8 tons. The worst part is after all the work I did this weekend, all I have to show for it is the same exact pile of crap that was in my driveway, just somewhere else. I am not going for a run tomorrow. These last two days were the hardest workout of my whole life. I’m tired but proud. The work that’s left isn’t easy, but it’s nowhere near this hard, so whew.
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April 18
Billy, Christina and I moved 5.6 tons of patio materials today. Talk about hard work. We (well, I) have another 3 tons to move tomorrow. Billy has to work, so I’m on my own. I’m pretty exhausted, but motivated to get it done. After this marathon, I can go at my own pace because the patio doesn’t block the driveway like this stuff does. I was insanely hungry today, not surprisingly. I also need to be better about drinking water. I had four liters of water and never had to pee. I’m proud of what we did today. Makes the back pain hurt a little less. Just a little.
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April 17
The patio materials arrived today. Billy doesn’t think I can get it all moved in six hours. I hope he’s wrong, but he probably knows better than I do since it’s literally his job to move freight. I am hoping not to have to work when it gets hot, and I really want the use of our driveway. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’m excited to get this party started. We’ll see if I feel the same on Sunday.
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April 9
I’m going to have to do a lot of ground leveling for this patio project, which I realized as I was grilling cheeseburgers. Luckily I will have lots of fill. As I wait for the materials to arrive, I’ve been creating a hard labor playlist on Spotify, which has been fun. I haven’t made a playlist in forever. I love discovering new music. Reminds me of this dream I had the other day where someone asked me to make them a mix tape, actually on a tape. So I had to start thinking about where I was going to find a tape recorder, and a CD player, and then I would need CDs too… And then I realized I had a turntable, so maybe I didn’t need CDs, except I didn’t have any records either. It was a dilemma. Spotify makes this all so much easier.
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April 5
I bought the bulk of the supplies today that I need to do the patio project. After taking measurements, my brain nearly exploded. Let’s just say this is no longer a $500 project. And also that I am expecting a 2-ton delivery of supplies next week. That I will have to move from the driveway to the backyard. By myself. I am doing this, I guess. I know I’m crazy, but I’m excited. It is going to be seriously hard work that is going to go on a long time, and I know I’m probably underestimating the work. But that last can of Intuition I-10 is going to taste so good next to that fire pit when it’s all done. I’m all in now.
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March 29
I’ve been wanting a backyard sanctuary since before I had a backyard. I’m feeling ready to make a true effort. It won’t be the $30,000 version I had in mind originally, but I think it will be nice. I have a screened in tent, some cushion covers, string lights, a shopping list, and a plan. Robin is skeptical. Her skepticism is my fuel, folks. And when we finish with the patio, I’m moving on to the garden. I’m excited. I will probably finish just in time for it to be too hot to want to use it. But it’ll be ready.
Year in Photos 