Where the Sidewalk Ends

So the story goes that in the first week of owning the house we emailed the city about replacing the old sidewalk. Within an hour there were a couple of guys with spray paint marking out the sidewalk in front of the house. "How responsive the city of Quincy is!", we exclaimed. Of course, it was pure coincidence. But in the next few weeks we got a new sidewalk.

A talented bulldozer gently ripped up the old sidewalk...

and took some soil and roots with it....

not a happy street tree...

the granular substrate was compacted...

including a plastic water bottle..."clean fill"

cutting down the life span of the trees in the wee tree lawn...

and the concrete was poured...

i got some tips on when and how to make my mark from the sidewalk guys...

the new sidewalk...

of course the expansion joints are lined up to the driveway, not the front of the house...

and soil and grass seed were added to the tree lawn. They said it would be hydro-seeded, which it was not, and the sparrows are having a hay day with the seed.

straightening up the neighborhood with a bright brand new sidewalk.

Out With the Old

The old chest freezer....just about body size.

More yard art? Eh.....

Classic. Tim and his trusty chest freezer.

No bodies!

The new (body sized) chest freezer. Let winter preparation begin!

Even More Basement Discoveries

jug found in basement pantry

an assortment of pantry items: Daisy Brand Jar Rubbers, Satina Ironing Aid, Merck pH tester, Blem which treats white stains and scratches on furniture, Kiwi black boot polish and Nugget bright red shoe polish

First Bud

this is the first bud on my night-blooming cereus. it blooms only once a year, during the night and has a very strong fragrance.

Summer of Cicadas

a cicada on the window screen. had to duck as he flew away loudly when i tried to get a shot from the outside.

Boiler Impact

This is where the boiler hit the floor when it was being disassembled...it broke all the way to the sand

Getting Creative with Wallpaper

More Basement Discoveries

Night in the Basement

old jars of preserves. the pear harlequin mincemeat is on the right.

check out the date on these cherries! 1939 is the oldest date we have gotten close enough to find.

crate the preserves are in

red paint?

old chest freezer. has already been checked for bodies.

instructions for using the old boiler

old newspapers from the 80s