How to Hide an Air Conditioning Unit

Man, I am SO glad to be done with this project! Check out my new screen that hides my air conditioning unit on the side of the house:

As you guys may have heard me mention in the Periscope sneak peek I did last week, this was a project I did in a sponsored partnership with Liquid Nails Fuze*It. They sent me a box full of the stuff and told me to go bananas (okay, so those are my words, but that's kind of what I did anyway):

I've used Liquid Nails Fuze*It on a number of projects in the past, but this seemed like a fun opportunity to really see what I could do with it. So, I decided on a plan to hide the air conditioning unit on the side of the house with an inexpensive, quick building project. You guys might recall that the whole area used to look like this:

I've made quite a  lot of progress so far, especially with some inexpensive egg rock and air conditioner-friendly plants back here, but the element I wanted to add most of all was something that would hide the A/C unit from the road. Nothin' fancy, but something.

And while I was at it, I realized that I might as well extend the screen to the right, which would then also hide the meter that's closer to the chimney:

This project was going to put a lot of their bragging points to the test:

• bonds almost anything to almost anything else, both porous and smooth surfaces – needed to join the smoother and chemically-treated PT lumber 2x2s to the rough cedar boards


• offers an instant grab to save time – needed because I had a limited number of clamps and time (and to be honest, patience)


• creates a durable, flexible bond – needed since I was going to eyeball the crap out of my measurements but didn't want it to look that way


• can be applied interior and exterior in hot, cold, wet, or dry environments – the humid Atlanta weather (and a freak rainstorm) made for 3/4 of these without breaking a sweat (okay, I totally broke a sweat, but you get the idea!)

Materials Needed:

• cedar fence pickets


• pre-treated 2x2s


• clamps


• Liquid Nails Fuze*It


• Optional: fasteners (I went without, but I think the project would set up a lot faster if you use them in combination with the LN)

To start, I cut the dog-eared ends off the cedar pickets. But don't throw these bits away just yet! You'll need them later.

Next, I measured and cut down enough cedar boards to create 5 boards per panel, a total of 15 (length would be determined by your own A/C unit measurements, but mine were 50 in. for the front panel, 34 in. for the side panel, and 34 in. for the panel in front of the gas meter).

I also cut the PT 2x2s down for four total posts. These would be what I glued and clamped the cedar boards to, but with about 12 inches of overhang at the bottom that would serve to anchor the panels into the ground. (***Important*** Before digging this into the ground, know where your utility lines are! You can find this out quickly and easily by calling 811 or submitting online a few days before you plan to dig. ***)

Time for gluing! I started with the top piece and carefully glued and clamped to make it square with the vertical 2×2 posts. I wasn't very precise with making things square, but since I was careful with my cuts and working on a level surface, things came together nicely.

Don't worry if a little oozes out; I used the edges of the scrap pieces to clean some of it up, and it's hardly noticeable when all is said and done.

Next, I added the second board below the first, but this is where the scrap pieces come into play.

Use the pieces (provided they are visually straight and not warped) as a means of evenly spacing out each board.

I noticed that the fusing of each piece of cedar to the post began to set in a matter of minutes; working quickly, I glued and clamped until I had five pieces in a row. I also read on the back of the tube that it actually adheres even better when you wet down the surface a little before applying, so I grabbed a wet paper towel to move even faster. Little did I realize that the next day, an afternoon shower would come through and basically take care of the wet factor all on its own, so I went without a paper towel for the remainder of the project.

While the first panel (which wound up being the middle panel that the others attached to) cured, I came up with my plan of action on the two remaining sides. The piece that would go in front of the meter was next, but I only cut four posts total. So, the plan was to use the middle panel as my base and attach more panels to it on the left and right sides, creating a sort of “Z” pattern when all is said and done. Figuring out whether to glue the panels in front of or behind the post was the hardest part, especially because I was clamping things upside down… and it's been a long week.

If the visuals aren't helping you picture it as well as you hoped, here's a simple diagram. Imagine this is the vertical view, looking directly overhead each panel, and the small squares are the posts that support the boards:

So once I flipped it over, panels 1 and 2 looked more like this:

With the first two cured, I then glued on the third and final panel (but this time, right-side up).

Finally, it was time to dig some holes and place the new screen in the ground!

It took a little sweat, but in the end, everything was magically level. I say “magically” because I popped the screen into each hole I'd dug and put my level on top of each panel expecting I'd have to make some adjustments, but it was oddly perfect right away. That never happens!

If you need a refresher on spacing, go to this post from when I added landscaping. Keeping a good distance away from the unit is really important for air flow!

Truth be told, I would have buried the posts a little deeper if I didn't also need to plan for the scalloped edging that will go in front of this area, but the corners are nice and secure for me. If you're going to try this project yourself and are concerned about the posts sticking into the ground, you might want to attach some rebar onto the posts and hammer them into the ground. But again, be sure you have contacted your utilities to make certain that you won't accidentally interfere with any lines buried in the ground.

The whole panel only really hides the side that's visible to the street, but because it's got a simple installation and opens in the back, it's freely accessible if anything needs to be serviced (theoretically… I haven't heard anything from anyone yet, but it should be fine). And just because I like the fun comparison, here's the before:

Here's progress:

And here's after!

• Paint remaining house trim on this side


• Dig the scalloped edging in front of the A/C screen down


• Possibly add some additional plants near the chimney area to finish off the whole side!

Big thanks to Liquid Nails Fuze*It for sponsoring this project, available exclusively at The Home Depot. I love the way it turned out!

#DontJustGlueIt #LiquidNails

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Living DIY Challenge: Cascading Stump Planter

I think I'm just going to have to call this The Summer of Outdoor DIY, because I can't seem to stay inside long enough to finish something off before going back out and beautifying another part of the yard. I promise, I am working on a few reveals inside, but the outdoor ones have been going so well that I'm just trying not to jinx it. This time, I attempted a project I've seen on Pinterest but wasn't sure if it was really as easy as it looked. It wasn't. But I still got it done, and even got to skip arms day at the gym. Oh yeah - and it's not looking half bad, either.

As I mentioned last week, a few DIY blogging buds of mine like to do this thing where we pick a theme and all kind of just go build or make something involving whatever was picked. We've done organization. We've done scrap wood. We've done lighting. This time, I was going to host (um… foreshadowing), so I picked Living DIY (#LIVINGDIYCHALLENGE) for no other reason than I was already working on like ten ideas that could qualify for this as an option. The concept: build or DIY something that involves a living element. Indoors, that could be a terrarium or a dog dish stand or wall art that has plants hanging off of it; outdoors, the concept is practically already built in to every project. With such endless possibilities, I couldn't wait to see what my bloggy pals were going to come up with! They were going to kick my butt, but I was prepared for that, since they kind of have “being a badass” down to a science. And with me hosting, I knew there was a built-in method for keeping me accountable, since I'm usually the procrastinating one who takes on too much and struggles to post in time. Well, about that…

#LIVINGDIYCHALLENGE

Getting the project part done was one thing, but in some hilariously fun twist, June just happened to be the month where nearly all of my blog buds slept through their proverbial project alarms. Each of them pulled a Sarah, so-to-speak - in that they agreed to our challenge, started their projects, and then many of them had not one, but multiple conflicts this very week! Wop, wop. I was tempted to postpone on their behalf, but I didn't want to force anyone else to postpone their projects if they had created them for the challenge, so I decided to just roll with it, Hunger Games-style. Whoever's odds were in their favor, they could post away. And I'm glad I did, because Mindi from My Love 2 Create has a stunning wall project to share today that you won't want to miss!

There's also a linkup at the bottom when this post goes live, so be sure to check out the other themed projects. For now though, let's get onto my stump planter project!

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How to Create a Cascading Stump Planter in the Yard

Start with an ugly-ass stump that you have been giving the stink-eye to ever since you moved in. To clarify, this was not a leftover from the tree removal project I did last year - this thing was likely a tree taken out by the city many years ago and left to rot in an awkward spot by some utility lines in my front yard. Basically, it's smack dab in the middle of an otherwise easy-to-mow area.

Grab some safety equipment. I repeat. Make sure you have safety glasses on. I would make a Bible joke right now about having a splinter in your eye, but I'm specifically saying to avoid that, so let's just go with the simple, third warning that you don't want to have bits of wood stuck in your eye under any circumstances, so put something on over them that deflects the ugly stump from getting up close and personal with your baby blues.

In other news, you'll also need a drill and the biggest spade bit you can find in your garage. And a hammer. A chisel would have been helpful to have one if you owned one, but if you don't, then you're as ill-prepared for this project as I was, but you can still knock it out. It just takes a little more elbow grease.

The stump I worked on already had a center hole drilled into it from whenever it was taken down, so it had several years to dry out and become insect food. I was glad to have this, because it meant drilling went a lot quicker (the stump was already very dry and splintery). In fact, I had to be careful as I drilled to keep the edge intact, since one whole side of the stump had already been chipped away over time (perhaps by nature or a wayward edge trimmer).

Keep going. I found that the most effective combination was my spade bit and Dewalt drill, then whacking at various stubborn bits with a hammer until things came out in large chunks (a chisel would have also been helpful). This Old House suggests using a mattock, which I also have, but I couldn't get enough control with it to make sure that the edge of the stump stayed intact, so I went back to using the hammer. Stacey from Not Just a Housewife did a similar project with creating an indoor planter out of a section of an old log, so check out her post for more tips (though, I will say that I did not find the Ryobi impact driver I had effective on this project at all… the bits kept slipping).

Try to get four to six inches deep at least, and drill a few deeper spots for drainage. You can't really see it in the pictures here, but the sawdust was particularly effective at making me think I wasn't making any progress, when in fact the ground middle area was much deeper once I swept everything away.

Finally, it was time for the fun part: adding plants. I originally thought I would go with succulents, but when I found a fun little fern and flowers, I changed my mind. Foxtail, Calipetite along the back are drought tolerant, and the Portulaca (the pink flowers) cascades down the front of the stump, which makes the chipped-off area look a lot more intentional.

And here's the final result!

I raced against the clock to snap these pics just before the skies opened up. The rain may have caused the flowers to snap shut, but I still think it looks a lot prettier than where I began!

Let's do a before and after, just for fun:

And now, it's your turn to link up! If you decided to go along with the theme, please use the hashtag #LIVINGDIYCHALLENGE on social media so that I can see and comment on your project, and please use the graphic above referencing the challenge with a link back to this post so that your readers can click through and check out the other projects. Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

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How to Save Caulk and Glue Tubes Between Projects

Have you ever been in the middle/close to the end of a project, grabbed a tube of caulk or adhesive that you've used in a prior project (maybe just days ago!), only to find out it's all dried up? It's happened to me a number of times. In fact, when I started this blog, it happened to me nearly every time (that is, once I learned that caulk, in fact, needs a caulk gun in order to work). Sometimes a long rod (like the ones that are automatically attached to decent caulk guns) works great for getting the dried caulk out of the tube; sometimes, the tube is just too far gone to be saved. Either way, I get frustrated.

Caulk and adhesive aren't really the most expensive materials on the planet, but after losing half a tube here and a quarter tube there, I got tired of the cumulated cost of constantly replacing them. Not to mention, having to run to the store mid-project, while not at all unusual around this house, was just a recipe for procrastination (and my most common source of project delays… well, procrastination delays the project - lack of coffee delays the post!). So, anything I can do to keep the project train chugging along is a welcome change, which is why I'm glad I picked up this nifty hack (in fact, I'm almost certain I picked it up from going to Haven or whatever, so I'm just going to say thanks to Pretty Handy Girl and Sawdust Girl, who are often my sources for pleasant little tricks like this).

If you know you're going to use the caulk or glue again soon (say, in less than a week), I've found that this is a crazy easy go-to method. And the best part is, it requires literally no other materials than what you're already working with.

How to Keep Caulk and Adhesive From Drying Out

Step 1

With the caulk gun still in your hand, just let a bit ooze out of the end. It usually happens anyway with caulk, but adhesive (like Liquid Nails) can be a little more stubborn and sticky. I try to let it kind of create a fat little lump on the tip of the tube without touching it (because despite having a blog where I regularly get my hands dirty, sticky hands bug me to no end).* But you just have to make sure that the entire end is oozing out enough so that no air can go down into the tube.

*Dear Lord, how many suggestive things can I say in a single paragraph?

Step 2

Once the end is covered, remove it from the caulk gun (or don't, if you're me) and just rest it in a spot where it can begin to air dry (both adhesive or caulk will start setting in a matter of minutes, especially when you live in a warm climate like I do).

Step 3

When you're ready to use it again, just pop off the dried end and continue on. You can see in the shot below that the top part is dry, but the adhesive directly underneath was still fresh!

This method has worked pretty well for me, but I also go through caulk and adhesive outrageously quickly, so I don't have to wait very long between uses. That also means that even though my method has worked well for me and probably would work well for others who use these products on a routine basis, those of you who don't live, sweat, and breathe DIY might need a hardier method. And, just like any DIY other project, there's more than one way to solve this problem!

Other methods for saving caulk and adhesive tubes**:

**that people get into internet arguments about when deciding which method is best

• Stick a nail down the tube (my dad does this, but they rust if you don't use something like galvanized nails, and then your pretty white caulk has a rust streak in it… no good)


• Use a golf tee (I can't help but think if the tube has any existing pressure, the tee would easily slip out… so probably also only a short-term solution)


• Cover the end with a wire nut (I've never gotten a good seal from this, but some people insist it works)


• Use a resealable latex cap (never tried this, but looks interesting)


• Use a resealable plastic cap (used these, liked them, but they are costly and I have way too many open tubes for that kind of expense)


• Duct tape the end (decent, but would probably still let too much air in over time)


• Jab the end of the tube into an inexpensive toilet wax ring


• Invert the end in a bucket of water (fine I guess for silicone caulks, but not likely a good idea with ones that are easy water cleanup)


• Melt the tip down to seal it shut again (usually with thin plastic, such as cut from a milk jug, but be careful not to burn yourself!)


• A combination of the above methods (or, as I'm sure there will be, other methods mentioned in the comments below)

As you can see above, there are lots of different ideas, and each of them have their own merit. Try whichever sounds worthwhile to you and give it a shot!

The post How to Save Caulk and Glue Tubes Between Projects appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Next Week: Living DIY Challenge!

As you guys have seen from time to time in the last year or so, I have been participating in a few group DIY challenges, usually involving a little graphic that looks like this:

(Your eyes arent' playing tricks on you… one of the hosts just picked her own graphic instead because she marches to her own drummer, and that's one of the many reasons I adore that woman.)

For each, it's a pretty simple concept: the host (which changes every time) picks a theme, those of us who can make time for it all run with it, and then we link up on a future date and show off our work. It becomes a really creative challenge in most cases, since when I participate, it both gets me to cross something off my to-do list in a timely manner (biggest challenge of all) and showcases some pretty awesome talent from others:

from: Pneumatic Addict / House of Wood / Kim Six Fix

In past challenges, I've waffled* between being extremely proud of my work and somewhat underwhelmed by it, but that's kind of the point of these: to get a little ambitious, test my own skills, and actually see if I can ROCK this. Especially since I'm not really a woodworking blogger (I would instead describe my blogging niche as “complete do-it-yourself sh*tshow”), making mistakes and succeeding alike have both increased my general knowledge and confidence. And, I'll admit, they always make me want more tools. Check out some of my past challenges here:

Anyway - why am I bringing this up? Because next week on Wednesday, June 15th, I'm actually the one hosting this time. Which means either one of two things will happen: either it will be exactly as awesome as all of the other challenges have been so far, or I will be a complete disaster and everyone will school me. Either way, it should make for a pretty entertaining post for all of you. First challenge: what theme do I pick?

I'm no stranger to picking up a challenge, like I did with the Pinterest one I co-hosted ages ago or the two Dueling DIY challenges that I did for both my staircase and my kitchen (speaking of, I need to do another one of those soon… I miss the smack talk!). But this time, the concept is more about picking a single theme for everyone to aspire to (rather than a room in a house or whatever). So since I've been getting my hands dirty with so many outdoor projects lately and have plants on the brain, the one I picked falls right in line: LIVING DIY!

The topic is broad enough that it can include a lot of different project ideas: hanging air plants, succulent terrariums, planters, bird houses, pet feeders (like the one I've been wanting to build for Charlie), etc. As long as it's a DIY project involving something living that also isn't a person (I say that because technically, anything someone does in their home, like building a coffee table, is usually a benefit for a person, so that would broaden it a little too much). But please - no goldfish toilets, okay?

#LIVINGDIYCHALLENGE

You'll see a blog hop from some awesome blogging and building friends who are planning to participate, and then there will be a linkup for you if you want to add your project too (use the graphic above and link back to my post if you're planning to participate so people know what's going on). My post and blog hop will be going live next Wednesday, June 15th, so be sure to stop by and ready to click. In the meantime, I'm going to be outside this afternoon and finishing up a project or two (I haven't talked about what I'm doing for this challenge yet on the blog, so it will be something different from what you already know I'm working on). I'll be dropping hints or showing sneak peeks on Facebook Live if I can ever manage to get some coffee in my system and makeup on my face (I have been using Periscope, but I haven't tried FL yet, so I think I'll do both and see which I like better). More DIY coming tomorrow!

*Mmmm… waffles.

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5-Minute Fix: Unsticking The Sliding Glass Door

You know those home repairs that you meant to do the last time they bothered you, but then you completely ignored it because you feel like you don't have time, and you're still dealing with the problem? Yeah, that was basically what was happening with my sliding glass door.

Every time I'd let Charlie out into the yard, the door would stick. Every day. I could easily blame the previous owner for letting it rust, but over the years it became gummed up with dirt, sludge, dog hair, and even the occasional spider web. And rather than scrub it out, I made the assumption that the door was simply always going to be a pain or would require replacement - and I wanted to put that expensive thought in the back of my mind for as long as possible. So, I did what any reasonable homeowner who doesn't want to deal with the problem rightthisminute would do: I yanked harder on the door to get it to open, let Charlie out, then yanked really hard on the door again when it came time to let her back in. Usually, this would result in one of two things: either the door would cooperate and slide smoother on the next pull (yay! but rare), or the door would stick a little bit more (or come off the track), and would be even more difficult to deal with the next time around. This went on for way too long. Because I'm apparently a glutton for this sort of crap.

I know that I should have dealt with it sooner. In fact, I should have been doing this “repair” all along as regular maintenance (so, I guess, learn from my mistake?). But, this is also one of those things that simply can't be ignored forever - the door will just keep sticking until it won't budge. Had I known it would have taken me all of five minutes (if that), I probably would have done this ages ago!

As it just so happens, the makers behind WD-40 reached out to me recently and asked if we could work together on a couple of projects as a sponsor, and I knew right away that I could use their products (I mean, is there a DIYer out there who hasn't used WD-40 at least once?). In the box they sent, they included this:

Dissolves gum and sludge? Prevents rust? Waterproof? Yes, please.

How to Fix a Sliding Glass Door

What you need:

• inexpensive scrub brush (I picked mine up from IKEA for a dollar or two)


• shop vac (I have a compact one that's great for small pickups like this)


• 3-in-ONE pneumatic tool oil

Normally, this oil is used for lubricating tools (like a pneumatic nail gun), but just like it says on the label, it's meant for resisting rust and preventing corrosion and gumming up, which are the same properties that make it a win for this project (FYI, they also have a “multi-purpose” oil too, but this still did the trick!).

First, all you need to do is simply give the sliding door track a good scrubbing. Be sure to brush down both sides of the track as well as help scrub out the dirt that exists in the middle (move the door along the track to expose the front, scrub, move the door back to the closed position, scrub, and so on).

Do this as many times as needed to get the dirt loose along the whole track.

As you scrub, use a shop vac to vacuum up the loose dirt (or in my case, spider webs, pine straw, dog hair, and dirt). This will help you see if you really got it all… or if you just think you did.

The door should already be functioning far better by this point, but if you really want it to last, you'll need a little lubricant.

Finally, add the 3-in-1 oil along the track. Move the door back and forth like you did in step 1 to help the door glide over the oiled areas; this will actually help to move around the lubricant into the harder-to-reach middle area where the door is constantly sliding and experiencing the friction that makes it stick.

This little fix took all of five minutes, but it made a night and day difference to my everyday routine to let Charlie in and out of the house (which she wants to do all the time). If only combating her nonstop shedding (or tracking in more dirt) were this easy!

Don't forget, since this project takes so little time, you can also take a few minutes to oil up all of your tools while you're at it. This is another thing I do too infrequently, but since I plan to use my pneumatic nail gun all summer long with upcoming projects, I know that I need to make more of an effort for proper tool care. Oiling your tools (and chainsaw blades, too) help to extend the overall life of the tool, so it's never a bad idea to keep a bottle like this on hand. Plus, a little goes a long way, so as long as you don't misplace it in your messy garage (ahem), you can use the same bottle for hundreds of projects.

Not bad for a quick fix, eh?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by 3-in-ONE Oil, but all opinions are 100% my own!

The post 5-Minute Fix: Unsticking The Sliding Glass Door appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Landscaping Around the A/C Unit (almost done!)

Hey folks! I know it's - well, Friday - but I want to update you guys on last weekend. Specifically, this:

Long story short: I got the majority of the side of the house done! Doesn't it look so much better than where I started? I'm about as excited about this transformation as I was after I installed the kitchen backsplash.

where it all began

You guys might recall from my last update that I still needed a few more bags of gravel and then to fill in the middle spot between. Which looked like this:

And over the weekend, that's exactly what I did. Right down to the very last bag of gravel, mulch, and plant I had available. I'm super pleased it turned out so well… one of the few times that something just worked the way I wanted it to right away!

I also figured out that if I'm going to bother putting gravel around these spots, I might as well do the whole area that's tucked away on this side of the chimney (thus why I even ran out of the gravel in the first place). The pic below is to the right of the A/C condensing unit, so I filled in this area too. More scalloped edging will divide this whole section between the gravel and the holly planted out in front of the house (it's not my favorite, but we've talked about this).

I need to scrub that green gunk off the house, but it's already looking so much cleaner and low-maintenance-y. WIN. I considered going on in more detail about each part, but since people like to skim sometimes, I broke it down a little further below.

Choosing landscaping around the air conditioning unit:

Spacing

I first came up with the idea for adding gravel mainly because I read that while shade around an A/C condensing unit (the outdoor part of your A/C) is good for energy savings, you also don't want to plant anything too close. Plants can grow into the unit and decrease its efficiency, and anything that sheds flowers and leaves, or “defoliates”, during off-peak seasons is generally a bad idea (restricting air flow around something that's purposefully trying to remove heat is kind of the opposite of what you want). A good rule of thumb is one to three horizontal feet (so says this site and others). You also don't want to cover over the top of the condensing unit by a good four to six feet, but that's not really a problem here (just more info for ya).

I wouldn't say that the pine straw and low plants in the “before” picture were really much of an issue in terms of horizontal crowding, but honestly, thems a whole lotta ugly, and I didn't want to run the risk of making things pretty only to have done it with less efficiency than I started with!

One more thing I was careful to measure off was adding some distance around the back of the little garden bed I created, too. This is mainly because the house has cedar siding, and to prevent termites, you also want some good spacing between the bottom of your siding and any mulch (I've read about 15 inches or so; fewer could result in voiding a termite warranty if you need one for your home). I've used rubber mulch for this purpose before when I need to blend it with regular mulch, but since I was using egg rock around the A/C already, I didn't need to do any fancy mulching combinations. The spacing up against the fence was just for visual balance with the rest of the area.

Stones

I got a great discount on egg rock, but you can find out all about how to score this stuff on the cheap here. To separate the stones from the new garden bed and help me (hopefully) keep things tidy in the future. Since rocks and landscaping pebbles are known to spread around when you're not looking, I also added some of the scalloped edging that exists elsewhere on my property. I gave myself a break while I went to go grab more cardboard to help kill off the grass, and in the meantime, a bird seemed to have assessed my progress:

Does that mean they hate it… or like it?

The scalloped edging may not be the prettiest IMO, but I have a ton of it after removing a bunch from the backyard mound where I had a bunch of trees cut down, and doing anything further with it would just mean more time or cost (even turning it over to the flat side would just emphasize the other places that haven't been changed, and I'd rather have it all consistent instead of doing the labor to all of the other spots).

Plant picks

Like I said above, good plants to put near the A/C condensing unit are ones that don't shed flowers or leaves regularly, so my typical shade-loving favorite, hydrangeas, was out. I'm not crazy about hostas in general, but when I went to my local gardening center to choose something that would work well in the shade without flowers, I decided that a good variation of colorful leaves was the right answer. And let's face it - hostas are really easy to keep.

For each plant, I measured spacing on the higher end (so when the tag said 18 – 24 inches wide, I went with 21-24) so that it has room to mature and fill in over time. I used the tip of my gardening trowel to mark the center spot for each plant, and my mattock came in handy for digging deep holes with minimal effort.

After everything was in and covered with mulch, we get a nice little bed that I hope I have to maintain exactly zero times for the rest of the year.

The red plants are an annual (coleus, and thanks to Vanessa and others for making that suggestion in the last post!), and my intentions are just to have it fill in the negative space while the hostas grown in a little more. The shrub in the back is called Andromeda (I think – I actually bought it over a year ago and it stayed in a pot while I decided to plant… which makes this the lowest-maintenance plant I've ever bought at a nursery and actually survived! I considered just leaving it as a potted plant since it seemed content to stay that way, but the pot size would have kept it tiny). It flowers, but only teeny tiny white buds, and it's a slow grower. Putting it at the back and with space to grow near the fence will give the bed some height, but not risk crudding up the condenser.

• Get one or two more bags of gravel (I had allllmost enough and took advantage of a good sale on the landscaping rocks, but I wound up covering more square feet than I originally planned)


• Patch & paint that band along the siding (I want it to be the same white/cream color that I painted the trim)


• Build a weather-resistant screen that will hide the A/C unit visibly from the street (already started!)

I know, that last one sounds like I'm immediately going to violate the whole “keep things away from the unit” rule above - but I'm actually still planning on giving it the proper distance, just giving me something more pleasant to look at in the process (and it might help keep any stray vine roots that exist under the soil from growing into the unit, too).

In truth, I completed this on Saturday morning, which meant I had all of the rest of the holiday weekend to run that first errand, but I still need to pick up those extra bags. I pretty much spent the rest of it visiting the zoo (Atlanta's “Brew at the Zoo”) and getting poked in the head by a well-meaning bearded guy…

Kept making “the sunlight hurts my eyes” face and instead, I get sunglasses snarled in my ponytail BlogThis!