New York Renovator

Hurray! I ventured out to the apple trees and discovered this!

That’s the first time EVER my Jonathan Apple Tree has blossom, ever. I’ve only had it in the ground for about 8 years! It’s suffered badly from the deer. I’ve tried everything to repel those nasty creatures but they are mighty hardy critters, I tell you what. They shredded my poor little weeping willow tree over the winter. They ripped off almost all the bark on the stripling– OOO I was blazing upset. I wrapped it in tree wrap and I see leaves on it this spring but I’m too scared to take off the wrap and see the horrible condition of the trunk. We’ll see if the willow survives. I really need willows, to slurp up all the water around here. I’ve tried growing several, but they are either destroyed by my neighbors or the deer. Gardening here is more of a battle than a pleasant pastime.

Anyway, my little apple tree is only about 12 feet tall now, and scrawny as anything. But it looks like, Lord willing, I just might get some fruit this year. We’ve already had 2 hard frosts that threatened the blossoms, but they’ve held their own. Here in Upstate New York, we really can’t be guaranteed against frost at any time of the year. We are so close to Canada that a slightly gusty wind blowing south can ruin our plants. So the blossoms here are extra special.

I love hard work. I could watch it ALL DAY!

[...]

I came to the computer this morning and saw this.

*snort* !!!

Have a great week, friends.

Now that’s it’s spring and I’m surveying the massive damage to my vegetation and gardens, it’s time for my annual “I Hate Deer” post! Yay!

To start off this year’s festivities, I present to you a marvelous short film, Bambi Meets Godzilla.

I first saw this video more than 30 years ago! I was flabbergasted to see it on YouTube. We kids were around the television set when this little film came on sometime in the late 70s? I think it was done by a university student, as a school project? Can’t remember. It was on TV one fine Saturday afternoon. My brothers and I and my very little sister were watching it. Oh the sweet, lilting music! The adorable and soft sylvan setting! The innocent little fawn munching on my future hostas forest foliage!

All of sudden, HERE COMES GODZILLA! Impending doom.

The boys and I (quite the tomboy) rolled on the floor, laughing. My young sister, however, was aghast and shouted out in distress. For some reason, we all thought her angst was hilarious, too, and laughed even harder. It was tough being a girl in our family.

I never forgot that video. I even told my kids about it. Imagine my surprise to find it on YouTube!! I gathered them around the computer like a mother hen with her chicks, pressed the “Full Screen” key and turned up the volume. With swelling anticipation, I awaited their hilarious laughter.

The video ended.

Silence.

“Oh Mom’s so sadistic,” a daughter rolled her eyes. The other kids were quiet.

WHAT?!?! I think it’s cool.

Deer eat my gardens, they eat my trees, they poop in my lawn, they wreck all my hard work!!! Cheers to Godzilla. Muahahahhaaha.

So who are you rooting for?

Well, well. Learn something new every day. LOL

Since I’m not renovating anything yet, I’m content to fill the blog with Livvy escapades. I hope you don’t mind. I really don’t want this blog to become a “cat blog” (as cool as those are) because I think they require tremendous amount of effort and energy. Which I do not have, currently.

We’ve been taking videos of Livvy’s antics FOREVER and I finally took some time to edit a few of them for viewer consumption. We’ve got some doozies, I’ll tell you that. lol.

Here’s one. We got her one of those cardboard scratching post things. She’s shredded her sisal-rope post TWICE and we are sick of replacing the rope. The husband got her a cute little cardboard ramp WITH a butterfly toy and WITH catnip. Livvy has only had catnip once before, so this proved to be an interesting little show.

What is it about pets that makes us inflict them and then watch them with amusement? lol

… when you just HAVE to expand.

This is my book area in the office. UGH. The monster is growing and growing! Not in the photo are another two bookcases of books and stacks of books around the room. LOL. Hey, I like books! But I also need them, because I used them for the writing business I maintain. Because I write about so many different topics– everything from WordPress PHP to gardening — I need a variety of resource books. And those resource books are usually 20-pound mamas. Sheesh. My cheapo Chinese MDF bookcases are burgeoning. Time to crack out some serious plans.

So in between all my jobs, I am reading books (yes, books!) and watching online videos of how to make a huge built-in bookcase. I just can’t wait!

I want to turn this ugly, inefficient area

into something more like this. I know the sketch is pretty rough, lol. It’s still in development form.

I’ll use stock cabinets from my local discount lumberyard. I may find something that is similar to the ones in the kitchen, which will lend a bit of continuity between the two rooms (my office is just off the kitchen). I also have plans to install a nice gas log fireplace as a “focal point” for the room.

I’ve already got some fabric material for making curtains. I’m going to change the decor of the room to make it a sunnier, more colorful room– English country style.

I may even be able to get some carpeting, too! There’s a budget carpet center in the area, and they sell remnants very inexpensively. Or maybe I can get a nice area rug. I wouldn’t even mind getting one used, as long as it is as clean, thesteamteam.com/austin-carpet-cleaning style. Ha ha!

Yes, yes, all dreams. But the kitchen was once a dream, too, and I got it! I hope to work on this built-in cabinetry when the kids finish school later this summer and I have more time to devote to the project.

Do you have any home or yard projects planned this year?

Well, I know you’ve been waiting with BAITED BREATH our review of a cool cat video we picked up recently. It was vigorously advertised, claiming to entertain your cat for hours! Gee, you could almost leave your home for a week’s vacation and the cat would be riveted to the TV screen, right?!

We decided to get Livvy, our Tabby-Point Siamese cat, to give her personal opinion of the video. I won’t bore you with a text transcription of her review results, I’ll just post the video here. Enjoy!

The princess wants fuds.

Have a great weekend!