I’m one of those guys that sketches out pretty much everything before I start a project. I can’t explain it but it really helps me to have a mental picture in my head as to what the final product will be before I ever start a project… Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. I’m getting ready to start a couple of massive backyard project(s) at our house here in Central Arkansas –some of which I’ve already started and are in various stages of completion…
- Raised Bad Gardens – 80% complete
- Mini Grape Vineyard – 25% complete
- Chicken Coop – 80% complete
- Backyard Kitchen – 90% complete
- Outdoor Entertainment Area – 50%
- Upgraded Lighting – 0%
- New Fencing – 0%
- Removing Playset – 0%
- Removing Trampoline – 0%
- Swimming Pool – 0%
Outlook: Construction & Chaos…
For those of you that know me, you know how I stress out when my task list prints out on more than one page each day. Unfortunately this is going to be my reality for the coming months. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited about all of these projects, and I honestly love the challenge. Honestly, it’s kinda therapeutic in a way. Take for instance my raised bed gardens… When I’m not working or traveling during the spring / summer, you can usually find me in the backyard working in my garden. I custom designed these beds and had someone build them for me and this past summer I installed a high-end drip irrigation system. When people tell you that having a garden is cheaper than therapy, they are not kidding.
Another example, our chickens. I spent at least 30 minutes in their coop this evening while talking on the phone to a co-worker. I absolutely love the idea of having chickens in my backyard and I can’t imagine life w/out them. They are fascinating, fun animals –and let’s not forget they lay eggs that I eat everyday! In addition to laying eggs, they also provide a great learning opportunity for my son… so, the chickens aren’t going anywhere, regardless of what the neighborhood association might think!
Swimming Pool – May 2022
Probably our biggest project right now is our swimming pool. We put the project off last summer because things were kind of crazy w/ the supply chain and just about every pool company we spoke with complained about not being able to access parts and equipment needed to complete their installations. The idea of having a huge hole in my backyard for a period of time while waiting on parts completely freaked me out so we decided to wait until this season to move forward. I’ve got a great contractor but the project itself is sort of daunting to think about. I was standing in the backyard last week kind of surveying everything one last time and explaining to my wife where I thought the pool would fit exactly when she threw me a curveball, “where will the dogs go to the bathroom?”… that’s a really, really, good question. We have two dogs now, the newest one, Harley, leaves a pretty impressive pile. I put in a doggy septic tank a few years ago but it’s proven to be no match for a dog of her size… oh, and it’s not just a matter of where we will put it once we find it, it’s also where will she find some grass to do her business in the first place. My original plan was to have about two passes with the mower on each side of the concreted area around the pool. After giving this some thought I came in my office last night and re-sketched everything one more time… and guess what… I’m probably re-sketching the entire thing again tonight before I go to bed.
Stay Tuned…
Anyway, all of this to say… stay tuned, I’ll be blogging quite a bit about these projects in the coming months. Also, stay tuned for an announcement related to a sponsor that I’ll be adding to The Cotton Club in the very near future as well as an announcement regarding a new content platform we will be launching in the spring / summer that should be a lot of fun.
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