Year of...

I decided at the end of December that it was going to be "Year of Carolyn's House, 2010." And that's just about as far as I got with that project. As far as New Year's Resolutions goes it's a fairly typical example. I did manage to get a new couch. And the next day my dog ate it.

So, "Year of Riley and Ted's House, 2010." So far they love the new purchase! It's squishy! It's fun to leap over. You can sit on the back cushions and just snuggle down deep for a nap. And it's in the perfect position to see out the front door. A good purchase I guess. Except I now need a new couch because the covering of this one is slowly being shredded.

The other thing I managed to do in the house makeover was add three bookshelves for storing things (not really for books), and two lamps.

And now it's summer time. And I'm realizing that I've lived in the same house for over 7 years and I haven't painted anything past the first six months. And I haven't cleaned out the inside of a closet in 7 years. Or mowed the backyard in 7 years, or taken out the window AC unit that I don't use....

It goes on and on, this list of things I haven't done in 7 years.

So, this week, I mowed part of the backyard. Got myself some boots to provide mental courage against snakes and I tried to think like LawnBoyDad who I decided would just mow and mow until something broke. So I mowed and mowed until I hit a tree. Well, until I knew I would hit the fallen limb if I kept mowing. I dragged the limb out to the street and then stopped mowing. I was getting a little too far away from 'shore' into snake territory to feel confident. Like to the point of no return. Maybe next week I'll get further.

Small steps I guess... because yesterday I emptied the bottom of a closet to sweep and mop.

Maybe I can still turn this plan into something that makes me more comfortable in my house than it makes the spiders...