Progress....

The picture is of my peach tree in bloom! It didn't die! I'm so very happy that it survived the winter and is coming alive with the rest of nature. Even the rose bush that I thought I might have killed is coming out in fine form.

The past couple of weeks have been hectic. My Mom paid her second visit to my house over the Easter weekend. But, we worked. New carpet was laid in the living/dining room and the master bedroom. It was about as I expected. We had all the breakables packed away though and most of the small stuff out of the way. The carpet layers (whose English wasn't good as was expected) did a great job. I've never seen carpet being laid before and it was interesting. And, there is a carpet pad under there. I wasn't really sure. The best part though, is there is no longer a stripe in my living room where the carpet pieces didn't match. And, for some reason, which neither my Mom nor I can figure out, this carpet looks better and feels better. It's supposed to be the exact same carpet, but it just seems to be of a better quality. I'm not complaining, though. I'm just terribly pleased to not have to look at that stripe anymore.

Then this past Friday, the drainage was fixed! I finally contacted the Warranty Manager (builder rep guy) and asked what the deal was. I knew they'd been out to look at the yard a month ago, but I'd heard nothing. So, he and the irrigation guy came out the Thursday before last, drew up the sketch for the drainage and it was done last Friday. I got home at three and they had dug the trench for the left side of the house, which was the worst. The crew leader recognized this right away. He also asked me, almost immediately, if they were going to fix the driveway. They tell me they will, but apparently they haven't figured out how yet because I haven't heard anything on that. Though, honestly, until the drainage was fixed, it was probably best not to fix the driveway. Now it can rain all it wants.

Then the really interesting thing. A week ago Thursday the foundation repair guys also showed up to cut the post tension cable that wasn't. Their English wasn't good either and I couldn't understand what they were trying to tell me. Finally, they called their manager and he explained it to me. According to him, the cable was cut when the house was built. Something happened and it "popped out." There was no tension on it. So, they were supposed to come the next day (same day as the carpet guys) to pull the cable and put in a new one. They were also supposed to call before they came. Well, they didn't. After the carpet guys left, we were starving, so we went to eat. While we were gone, they came and apparently pulled the cable (I could see the trail from the cable). Since I wasn't here, I have to go on faith that they put in a new cable, because it is now sealed. I've asked Warranty manager for a letter stating what exactly they did. I'm concerned for when I sell the house. I need to be able to disclose these things.

Apparently, I've scared off Warranty Manager. He's assigning me to another Warranty Manager. I finally got fed up and said if folks were sent to my house and I wasn't here I wanted a letter or some other documentation saying who was here, what they did, and what actions would or would not be taken. I'm still waiting to get a report from the roofing company; apparently they were here the week of Feb 13th, but I wouldn't know for sure since I wasn't told they were coming so I was at work. We'll see how new Warranty Manager handles things. Hopefully a little speedier than old Warranty Manager.

Trees and other good stuff....

A week ago this past Saturday, I went tree shopping. I had a goal - a Little Gem Magnolia for my backyard. My friend LH went with me. The first nursery, which I had such high hopes for, was a dud. So, we toodled to Home Depot. Great sale price for a nice looking tree. Didn't include delivery or someone to plant it (it was about a 22-24 gallon tree; no way was I planting it, at least not properly). We heard a guy talking on the phone and he sounded like he would be the person to talk to about who to contact to get a tree planted. So we did. Very nice guy. Brother-in-law does landscaping on the side. His advice was that the trees look great, but people have had problems with them. He recommended a tree farm. We had a couple of hours till they closed, so we went. What a fun place! I like plant nurseries anyway, but this was bunches of trees in one place. Plus some yard art. Just lots of fun. The did have Little Gem's. They were a bit higher, but about the same size tree and their price included delivery, planting, mulching, and staking. Well worth it!

And, yesterday it was planted. My little backyard just seems complete. Of course, the two added bird feeders, bird bath, and twirly thingy help also. I added those on Saturday. Still waiting for the birds to discover us. Now the backyard doesn't look so empty.

The other good news is something that was expected, but came early. The same Saturday, I bought the tree, I got what I thought was my monthly car statement from Toyota. I opened it to find that it was the title to my car! My loan is paid off and I am now the total owner of my car. Woo hoo! Now, I can start putting that money in the property tax fund. Ahh, the joys of home ownership.

I hope it lives....

Well, yesterday, I planted a tree. Literally. My little Peach tree was not very happy in the pot and I realized it needed to planted... sooner rather than later. I knew it wasn't cut out to be in a pot, unlike my Colonnade Apple tree, and didn't plan on leaving it there for this long. I'd hoped to get it planted after firming up ideas with a landscaper. Alas, I've not heard from the last landscaper I talked with. I'm going to call her tomorrow and see if we can't get together in a week or so. Over the weeks and after some thought and some reading, my goals for what I want her to do have changed, but I still need a little help. The yard doesn't look really good in this picture. I wasn't sure for quite a while where I wanted to plant it, but yesterday this is the spot that called to me. It's slightly off center in the yard, but I can see it from the living room. It's also in the middle of the large dead spot in the yard. But, said dead spot is filling in.

As I said, I planted the tree. Dug the hole, filled in the dirt (used Miracle Gro's soil for trees and shrubs as I think it needs all the help it can get), and used the fertilizer tablets that came with it. I must have done okay, because it survived the storms that rolled through this morning. I'm terribly pleased with myself for getting it planted and hope that I didn't kill it. I did learn, however, that maybe I not geared for planting trees. It's made me re-think all the flower beds I'm envisioning back there. Not that they shouldn't be, just that I shouldn't be the one doing them. At least not by myself. I have no problems doing the actual planting, but I'm smart enough to admit when I'm not the best person to do something, that's why I have a lawn service to do my edging. I can mow, but I can't edge worth a dime. And, I'm not sure I'll be all that good at putting in a flower bed, let alone a lot of flower beds.

I've also realized why one wants the garage in the back of the house. It's much easier to have a potting place in the garage if you don't have to lug everything to the back. Course with a garage in the back, you have to lug mulch to the front, so I guess lugging is involved no matter where the garage is.

At any rate, the Peach tree is ensconced in the ground, my first permanent landscaping in the back yard.