Curb Appeal

First impressions really do matter. That's why it's important if you're looking to sell your home that you make the best first impression that you can. You can create a positive first impression with just a few simple projects.

Paint your front door. You don't always need to paint your entire house but painting the front door in a memorable color will help it stand out and make a good impression.

Boring old house numbers are most likely the same as all of your neighbors. You can replace those numbers with new fresh updated and colorful numbers. The can be painted or metal and they don't always have to be the same size.

If you have a mailbox in front of your house, plant a garden around it or even replace the mailbox. You can often find unique mailboxes at farmer's markets or seasonal markets.

You can add interest to your entryway with a pot of flowers or even a chair or a sitting area. Let folks imagine themselves sitting there morning or evening and watching the neighborhood happenings.

Flower boxes are a great way to add a pop or color or interest to an area that looks a bit tired in the summer sun. Go bright and bold. Remember that you don't always need to have flowers in a traditional flower box, but use an old boot, beach bucket or any kind of interesting container.

Urban Farms

My neighbor in Ballard has an urban farm. Goats, chickens and rabbits are her animals of choice. It's a meeting place for neighbors and the local kids (human children) have a good time stopping by, because the alley is open for them to wander in to see the creatures.  She says she is teaching her children the circle of life.

Selling my mommy's house part two

 The city of Tukwila hired a contractor to replace the storm drain alongside mom's house. It took three weeks. Here are some rainy day shots of the day they took the big hemlock tree down. Iplanted that one when I was in the 6th grade after a trip to Camp Waskowitz. Back then, they stopped the schoolbuses alongside I-90 LET THE KIDS OUT, and we used our lunch milk containers to dig up seedling trees (with a spoon, I recollect) and we got to bring them home to plant them. That neighborhood has quite a few trees of the same era. This one had to go, though.

Landscape painting in the city

A little sketch I did on Capitol Hill.   Fun in the
Seattle summer, painting outside!

Spring has Sprung!

 Love spring! My favorite season. Time to clean up the garden...

snow drops

witch hazel

star magnolia

Recycling

I love that Seattle recycles. I need to remember to take the yard waste out before the bag gets full. wow.

New Trend: Calming Drinks

Did you know there are companies putting fragrance and flavor in our food? Perfume, yes, but the food we eat, the beverages we drink, even pumped into rooms and...am I the only person who thinks this is super creepy?

Chemicals, not the real deal.

Here is a article about the latest trend in drinks, calming drinks...

Greening Seattle

I finally stumbled on the answer to my question,  "who is behind this Greening of Seattle?" I've seen the volunteers and piles of ivy ripped out of urban forests, especially along Admiral Way SW, in West Seattle.

Here is a link to a video on how to make a compost pile in the forest...

Some Home Remodeler's Blogs to look at

Lauren and Kyle Zerbey from Seattle

Morgan Satterfield in Hemet California

Vilde in Norway

Anna and Evan Dorfman in New York's Hudson Valley

The Oldest People on the Street

The other day I was feeling old, creaky, and just plain worn out. (That's right, I am only in my fifties)...then I looked out the window, and caught a glimpse of my neighbor, an older woman (in her 80's who is Norwegian. At one recent block party we all remarked that while we may get older and die, she'll be re-roofing her house and outliving us all. She showed up to that event with a party platter, cut meats cheeses, lefse that she made herself, and gave all a jar of homemade jam.

So, as I limped to the window, imagine my shame as I saw this gal outside, in her boots and rain gear, hauling around her hose. I thought, what? She is washing her house? It turns out she was washing her windows, outside with a long handled contraption I can only think she made herself in her basement. Here is what she looked like:

The New York Times had this little essay by Michael Winerip on a similar line of thinking.

Making Pickles

Secret family recipe (mom's) for dill pickles.

Here we are, stuffing the jars and getting a batch ready.

We make them once a year.

Several Hours later, 24 quarts of pickles. Yum.

Crows in Seattle

I am reading a local woman's book, and noticed three reviews of her work this week. It's a pretty good read, if you like birds, an excellent meditation of the crow's place in city life.

Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt is a book to set by your bedside, or take on a trip. Enjoy.

Garden Creatures

Here's a creature I painted while thinking of insects as weapons, against pests and other things in the garden.

Ant

do you Really want to sell that house?

OK! This house has finally been renovated. (Poor souls) and now it seems to be...for sale? This sign is about 3 inches by 5 inches. It's a bit of cardboard on a stick. Written with a magic marker, is, "for sale". I walked past an caught the sign. Is the grass (new...just put down in strips) for sale, or the house? How do you buy it? No number or way to contact anyone. Good luck.

Star Magnolias

neighborhood signs of spring

dandelions

Now here is a yard full of weeds, or is it? I finally ate the great mashed potato recipe from Mark Bittman, which you can find here:

So this yard looks like a field of possibilities, although not harvested quickly enough. The green mashed potatoes were very tasty, and easy to make. All you need are potatoes, olive oil, and dandelion greens.

World Hunger

I drive past the Ballard food bank every day. I see the lines. What can be done? Here is a link to the world hunger education service. • Even in the United States, 46 percent of African-American children and 49 percent of Latino children are considered chronically hungry. Heifer International has asked bloggers to speak up about this today. Here is a link to that.

forsythia

Spring! Sun! Warm weather...