Not so perfect, but...

It is still 78 degrees. The rain has stopped and perhaps I won't have to water all the plants today.

 The "tropical downpour' has stopped all work, in truth I had stopped before the rain. After all, I am supposedly retired. About one third of my front yard is complete with the second third in the ground and the final third purchased and waiting. Waiting for divine intervention or a sudden burst of energy. Good luck on that!

 Red Cuban Banana plant, Canna Lily and White Bird of Paradise, with Iris, Jasmine, Copperleaf and two grasses in the background.

 My new walk (50%) complete and the before and after sides of the front yard.

 One of the "Ti" plants.

 Another Ti, a Canna and a Cassia plant...waiting patiently

for the rain to end and me to return to work. To quote Annie, "Tomorrow!"

Sadly, many of my friends are nearing the day of departure. They are all busy trying to find their muk-luks, parkas, keys to their snow-blowers and not least the GPS co-ordinates for their homes...so they will know where to commence shoveling when they get home. The good news is that by the time they find the front door it will be time to return here to the place where everyone knows their names. I will miss you all, but I might be able to win  a card game or two now.

My main priority at this time is completing the outside landscape before it becomes absolutely too miserable to work outside. As you can see it is progressing well. With some luck the front will be complete this week and the back yard is no where near as ambitious...only a few vines along the fence and two/three tall shade plants (white birds or seagrapes.)

More pix as I proceed. Ciao a tutti!

This wasn't built in a day either

Many of you are wondering where I have been, what have I been doing, when would I reappear? These photos are of my house ("The project"). My seemingly sole task in life, something that I originally thought was an easy patch, paste and paste makeover...wrong! 

I have moved in, about a six weeks ago and the remaining tasks still boggle my mind. The shift from interior to exterior is more of a sanity break than  any claim to completion. Their are many incomplete jobs remaining inside, but I can put them aside for the moment. Soon it will be too damn hot outside to work. So the outside is my focus now. Plants, plants, plants...and COLOR! And then return to complete the interior.

As the pictures show this project  became a total "gut job." At one point I was standing on a floor joist looking down at the earth beneath me, out through the aluminum siding that was more a sieve than a protective wall or up at a ceiling waiting to be destroyed. The more recent shots show a better, more livable atmosphere. Between trips to IKEA, Lowe's, various hardware stores and unknown quantities of furniture stores my sanity and budget are at all-time low levels. And yet, after this is posted I need to go find closet doors.

My hope is to post the job completion photos prior to my demise...at least I now perceive a completion.

I would love to hear from all of you, your thoughts, ideas, advice....donations?