A Little Bit of Heaven

As a surprise for our anniversary my parents had a huge renovation project done on our home, and because we changed our vacation plans by moving them up 3 weeks it had to be completed in a huge hurry. We have a fabulous carpenter/constructor named Kevin who has done most of the work on the house since we bought it last January and he worked a miracle once again. We had dreamed about tearing out the kitchen window and putting in a sliding patio door and then building a large deck out over the driveway. Well, imagine our surprise when we came home last Sunday and were led blindfolded through the kitchen to the fabulous new doors and deck!! It ended up about 15 feet off the ground surrounded by our immense trees, so now we feel like we're in a real treehouse! I just love it. They also added a screened in gazebo thing so that no one is bothered by bugs and other creepy things. Okay- the occasional earwig manages to get through but those are really determined little critters (yeah I HATE them). I added three large window boxes full of lots of herbs and Dad raised all the birdfeeders so that we can watch the birds while we sit outside and it's so awesome. Yesterday we spotted 3 or 4 downy woodpeckers pecking at the plastic cylinder of the finch feeder. They finally figured out that it was easier to get the seeds from the holes. Chickadees are always at the feeders and make adorable little sounds. In the evening we get beautiful goldfinches which remind me of little rays of sunshine.

I spotted a lovely garden Buddha and a Hindu goddess head at a local shop this morning which have inspired me to create a sort of Zen/Asian garden area along one side of the house, so Peter was busy this morning digging up the flower bed. I added a little windchime and later this week we'll buy the plants and finally----->Stepping Stones! The garden will be a tribute to our life together and of the path we've traveled so far. St. Francis was added to the front garden earlier this week, although I'm sure he'd be just as happy in the Zen garden. So far the mischievous gnomes have stayed put and have not invaded my new oasis.

We've also got some very silly squirrels in the trees. Have you ever sat and listened to them as they communicate with each other? They are hilarious and make some really unusual noises.

There are apparently a few deer in the area as well. The neighbour was telling my Dad about how he watched 2 deer devour his entire strawberry patch last month! It's nice to know we have neighbours who would rather let the animals enjoy a feast rather than chase them away.

Life is good here on Neptune Lane!