Previous home improvements

There are some home improvements that we have been doing that havn't made it onto this blog. This summer we tackled the front yard - it was a mess of weeds and spotty grass. In June, I borrowed a neighbour's electric tiller and dug up the front yard. We then put in a path and garden, covering the path with sand, and the garden with wood chips. The squirrels have decided that the wood chips are neat, and are digging in the garden, but otherwise the front yard is looking good. We have only lost one plant so far, a Chinese lantern plant that Suzanne is hoping will come back in the spring. We aren't sure what ate all it's leaves, but after a month, it had no leaves left at all, and the stems were being eaten.
Considering what a difference it makes in looks, this improvement wasn't that expensive. We want to put in a rock path where the sand is, but we need to find a truck to carry the stones in... delivery costs more than the stone itself!

Last summer (07) we applied for and received a grant for frontal improvements to the house. We used the money to help pay for two replacement windows in the second story. Windows that opened up in the summer, and didn't leak air like crazy in the winter. What a difference it made to the front two bedrooms!