If It Isn't One Thing

If it isn't one thing ~ it's another. 

Raise your hand if you're holding an event and decide it's the perfect time to do a little sprucing up of the house and gardens.

The one little thing that will make everything look perfect. 

The one thing you've wanted to do for ages.

The perfect excuse for getting something done.

Are we all in this together? 

I feel the pressure to have at least a half way decent looking yard when we have a group of people coming to the house.  For some reason some people think just because I do this garden blog it translates into a magazine-cover garden straight off House Beautiful.

Alas, nada.  I'm just an average procrastinator who can envision perfection better than I have time to accomplish.  Crazed by good intentions in the dead of winter, I agreed to host a grandson's graduation party, a ladies' meeting, a post garden walk soiree, and a baby shower - starting this weekend and into June. 

We had the cement walks done and in the process had to tear out the front porch steps.  So I say to my honey, "Honey, I think I'll change the color of the porch ceiling.  I've always wished we had made it blue like the back porch." 

At which point the porch flooring didn't match and "Honey, I think I'll paint the floor and new steps a dark blue." 

In the process I realized the trim on the bay window no longer matched and I painted it the dark blue.
I've always wanted to give the bay an extra Victorian zing and proceeded to add another color.

Finding it was impossible to make fine lines - the result of adding another color could be described as done by a two year old except a two year old would be insulted.

This new paint made the railings look old and dull so started painting them. 

During this painting spree, I managed to pull the most offensive of the weeds which meant they had to be cleaned up.

That's when Honey started mowing the grass and the blades broke and it took five hours to finally get a new ones which had to then be retrofitted.

In the process, I had a meeting (two hour drive), needed to get to the grocery, cleaned the house and at almost dusk, we are putting one coat of paint on the porch floor (it needs two). 

The pots are clustered in a none too graceful glob on the driveway - without plants.  The porch isn't totally painted.  The bad paint on the bay is still bad.   My garden mulch is not down but in a big pile.  The veg. garden has started to grow weeds and only has cabbage.  I've got something eating my rose leaves.  The winds were gusting to 40 mph and my clean back porch is now covered in a thin layer of dust.  We're leaving at 8 am tomorrow for two days on a long planned trip to visit a granddaughter in Chicago.

Sunday is the graduation party.  We're expecting from 20 to 80 people.  Seriously, invitations to 20 and then it went on facebook. . . .   Kids!   (On the up side, my son came out and cleaned the shed's game room where the party will take place - thank you Ian!!!)   

I'm figuring this is all meant to be humbling.  And now it's time to sit back and let it roll.  Maybe it's my subconscious effort to make others feel more comfortable.  Naw ~ it's that home true ism:  You can't do one thing without it making another.  And another.   And another.

Photos of this year's beautiful peonies are just for fun.  Photo of the graduate is the whole grandma thing.