Some home improvements and spring landscape

Spring is busting out all over here in the Ozarks!  We have things blooming.  Bees are buzzing.  Dogs are running around outside after the squirrels and chipmunks.  We saw our first black snake down by the gate earlier this week.

My lilacs and peach trees did really well this year.  We didn't have any frost when most of our neighbors did.  I'm not really sure why.  I think those who were unlucky and got frost are closer to the Spring River than we are.

Peach trees and daffodils (with bedroom to be removed in the background)

Peach petals falling like snow

Our peaches usually do well.  We had more blossoms this year.  These trees are about 8 years old.  I'm looking forward to fresh peaches!

The wind really blew the petals around!

Now the lilacs are blooming, and the violets.  It smells so wonderful walking by.

Our house has been in disarray the past few days.  We decided it was time to replace our windows.  The ones we've been living with for the past 8 years are the windows that were installed when the house was built in 1978.  The 2 windows in the Great room were cracked (I had packaging tape over then hole/crack).  We got our friend, Chris Graves of Mammoth Springs, to install the new windows.  He and Jack are doing a great job!

The first 2 sets went in fairly well.  But when they got to our bedroom window they discovered some pretty serious rot in the logs.  Out came the chainsaw! Once all the bad wood was removed, Chris called around until he found an acceptable window.  Jack drove up to Koshkanong, MO to Ozark Salvage and got a very nice 5 ft by 5 ft window.  So now we have an egress window in our bedroom.  The other 2 windows went in well, no problems. 

Jack and Chris are milling some cedar to use for molding and such today.  And depending on the rain and other possible issues, will be back on Friday or Monday to finish the interior work.

So, here are some before and after pictures.

South entrance, before

South windows, after.

Front entrance, before.

Front entrance, after.

 

 

North side of our house, before, with bedroom addition to be removed.

 

 

Our bedroom window, after.

Our computer room/utility room window, after.

Our kitchen window, after.

After Chris and Jack get the molding and such up, they will be building us a new storage shed to replace the old aluminum one we have now.

The storage shed is behind the truck, on the left.

 Once the storage shed is complete, we'll be moving Josh's furniture out into it.  The weird extension on the northwest end of the house will be torn down, and a new addition will be built in it's place.  This space was a afterthought porch kinda space when we bought the house.  We did a some work on it and made it into our "back porch" and a bedroom.  The brick patio was added outside.  Here's what it looks like now.

Patio and back porch now.

Here's what it looked like before we worked on it in 2007.

North side of our house in 2007.

Notice how much the landscaping has grown in 7 years!  Amazing!