yard work

Super Clean

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Creating pride in our home takes work. I have pressure washed and scrubbed the outside over the past few weeks. We have also worked on the front yard to create curb appeal. Plus there is the amazing gazebo we built for the backyard. But there is still more to do.

Today was all about the upper back decks and the windows facing the backyard. Our middle child scrubbed the deck that leads out from the kitchen. It turned out fantastic. I worked on spraying the windows on the house.

I cleaned the algae off the awning above the deck prior to the scrubbing of the deck. Afterwards I cleaned the glass railing. Once the green algae was washed off, I gave it a quick clean with Windex and let it dry. The trick afterwards that made them crystal clear- I used spray car wax.

I misted it on, used a microfiber cloth and wiped it all around. Followed by a dry cloth to polish it up. It almost looks as if the glass is t even there. I’m really impressed by the finished look. Next nice day I will do the lower patio deck glass railing. The yard is almost ready for basic upkeep and lounging.

I really cannot wait until summer hits in order to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Spring Break Staycation

Posted on by Josef Havelka

As my last day comes to an end, I think I had a relatively great staycation. A quick look back at the last ten days showed how busy it was. As well as how productive it ended up being.

We did a bunch of gardening, went to a speed skating meet last weekend, had a night on the town for my birthday, and built a gazebo as a family. We built some Lego, and our oldest came to visit and we all had a delightful time. There really isn’t much more I could ask for.

All in all it was a great birthday week. I’m glad I spent it with my family.

Weekend? What Weekend?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Just like that, my days off are over. The first day off entailed my being a chauffeur to our middle child to and from school. I also had to drop my wife and son off at the airport. They went away for the weekend up to Fort St. John for a long track speed skating meet. If he does well- he will be off to Quebec in April.

Then my next two days were all about pressure washing our back deck. I also got to chauffeur our middle to and from school as well as to the mall so that they could get an ear piercing.

Needless to say, I am sore and exhausted from all my time off work. I did enjoy being outside for the last couple of days in the sunshine. I was able to listen to music and feel accomplished with the deck cleaning. At the end of the day, I just sat outside and had a cold beer.

Poof. My weekend is over.

Blister In The Sun

Posted on by Josef Havelka

After a hard day of manual labor, I had to take note of my hands. They were rough, dirty and beat up. I was assaulted by blackberry bushes that caught my skin and tore me up. But the worst was the blisters I received from the tools I used.

It may not have been an excruciatingly sunny day, but I broke into a sweat. After my first blister began, I caught myself singing “Blister in The Sun” by Violent Femmes over and over in my head. Let me go why??? I also tried to baby that spot, but the skin quickly tore away, so I gave in to the pain.

My days off are usually filled with chores and work that I do for my family and home. Seeing my rough hands makes me think of my father and how hard he would go to finish his chores. I have a similar trait and when I start something- it needs to be seen to completion.

I still get prideful doing work. Blisters and all.

Weekend Woes

Posted on by Josef Havelka

As summer comes to a close, enjoying a weekend in the sun is a luxury. After a few days of rain, it was nice that our Saturday was filled sunshine.

As the summer comes to a close, my wife and I started to plan our gardens. Sales at the garden centers are starting to come up. Today we planted some late summer/ autumn plants by the pool. They will add a splash of red and yellow the the back yard.

We also moved our tomato plants into a small green house in order to protect them from blight. They are so close to being edible that it would be a shame to lose them this far into the season.

Finally, we are gathering up junipers and cedars for our front garden. These will be planted over the next few weeks as we try and figure out a layout that won’t involve lawn.

Hopefully the sun peaks it’s head out on my days off. That’ll make it so much easier to plant.

How is the end of your summer coming along?

All That Hard Work Will Make Our Home

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today the sun was shining and the weather was warm. It was the perfect day to clean the yard and the outside of our home.

Our son took on the task of adding some paint to their old playhouse. We use it as a garden shed now, but it can easily be converted back for play should young kids ever live here again.

Our middle child pulled out the lawnmower and gave the first mow of the season to the backyard. We have about half of our acre that needed a mow. The rest is mostly trees and bushes.

Our oldest enjoys pressure washing. With all the trees and dampness in our area- a lot of green shows up on cement and such. A deep cleaning at the start of the season will make for a good spring and summer.

At the end of the day, it feels like we’re only part way through. We’ll get there soon enough. And then we can relax enjoying nature and our home.

Yard Work, Yard Work, and More Yard Work

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I have been tackling our yard over the past couple of days. Yesterday I was working on trimming our rhododendron bush when the rain hit. Today, I cleaned the green moss/mold off the front edges of our roof’s flashing.

Then I formed our boxwood bush using bailing wire and my electric hedge trimmer. Followed by planting some Hostas and Helleborus in a shady part of our front yard. I figure by the end of next week our front yard will win back it’s curb appeal.

Having an acre is difficult to maintain. It’s also difficult to figure out how to decorate and keep the flow going. We have a few spots that are overgrown or ignored. I’m hoping to change that this summer (on a budget!). Lots of work to do for the family.

Having three teenagers around can either be useful or frustrating depending on their attitudes of the day. Hopefully they will enjoy the fruits of their labors. I figure by the summer our home will be easier to maintain. Only time will tell.

From Yard Work to Axe-ercise

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My son and I have been hard at work the past couple days clearing out an overgrown part of the yard. We needed to dig out a rotten shed and take back some of our yard.

Yesterday we cleared away quite a bit. Today, my oldest came out to help as well. She knew that I was going to be making a large target for archery and axe throwing. She wanted to be there when we began throwing.

We had ripped up an old deck, and I kept some of the wood. I placed them together and traced out a target. My kids helped me hang the target and excitedly began to decimate it.

Numerous throws and hardly any hits. But the hits that stayed- felt great. I have a feeling this summer we will be working hard in our aim. Seems like everyone wants to come out and try as well.

Long Weekend May 2018

Posted on by Josef Havelka

It’s Friday before the May Long weekend. I’ve picked up the kids from school and saw that the freeway heading out of town was busier than a regular Friday. Campers, boats, minivans and SUVs departing for some time away from it all.

Not us.

This weekend we have no out of town plans. In fact our regular Friday plan of going to the Speed Skating Coaches on the Lake has been cancelled. But only because our one daughter is getting over being sick and our oldest daughter volunteered this morning. She helped to set out sandbags on a reserve to protect the homes from flooding. (I’m really proud of her for doing such a great thing for the community without being asked.)

This weekend for us will mostly be at home doing yard work. Sunday we are invited to a bbq so we will likely go there. And on Monday our two youngest are in a parade to promote our local Speed Skating Club. But if the weather is nice, we are tackling this crazy acre of ours! So many weeds…

Yard Work is Hard Work

Posted on by Josef Havelka

We have had the luxury of some really nice weather to start off May. Of course this means getting back into the yard work. Hooray!?

Today I finally mowed the back lawn. The grass was a few inches tall and kept stopping my mower. Even worse were the surprise dog poop land mines hidden all around our acre. So that was kind of gross at times. Especially when I got a rather fresh mound.

I also took the blower to the roof and driveway to clear off the pine needles. I ended up filling seven yard waste cans with everything that I accumulated. At least that goes with the green waste.

Before dinner, two of my kids helped to get the back patio furniture cleaned and set up. Unfortunately the chairs are wet and we won’t be using them this evening after I finish BBQing. Tomorrow we will enjoy our meals outside undercover.

After hours and hours of hard work, I needed a cool down. So I took a shower and cracked open a Smirnoff ICE Berry Blast. As you can see by the can- it tastes like the popsicle of the same colours. A nice treat to end my day. More work ahead of me tomorrow with the other deck and wiping the roof trim and windows.

I love taking pride in my little castle.

Twenty Four Little Hours

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Yesterday was a good day.

The sun was out. The weather was warm and inviting. And my family was getting back into its groove. Because of this, I decided to take advantage of the situation.

We started off with a walk around the block. We made it to our neighbor’s house, where we began to talk with him. After a bit, he offered to take our old toilets to the dump when he went on his dump run. Cool- and mighty neighborly of him. We left his driveway and continued on our walk with the dog.

As we walked, we waved at people passing by. Everyone was smiling and being courteous as we walked down our rural road. With every house at least an acre apart- it was strange to see so many people out. But mowers, chainsaws, and leaf blowers were in full force being used. We even met a few other dogs along the way that needed to come say “hello” to our dog.

Once back home, our old toilets went next door and the kids filled seven yard waste cans. I cleared off the roof and finally took down our Christmas lights. After all this was done, I even got to wash my car. You could see a huge difference in our home’s “curb appeal” by the end.

Life was back to a semblance of normalcy by the end of the night. Four of the five of us celebrated “Mario Day” with a few rounds of Mariokart. (Mario Day is Mar10– check out the Google Map app for this week as well to be Mario for the directions.) I may have lost repeatedly at the game, but I enjoyed the time with the kids.

I’m going to end today with a link to an old song. A couple of the lines resonate with me and how I feel. Please enjoy.

What a Diff’rence a Day Makes

May Long Weekend 2017

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This long weekend we are working on the yard.  By we, I mean the entire family. With no arguments or “disappearing” children. You know the ones, they sense that work is needed to be done and suddenly they need to rush to their bedrooms or the bathroom… but not today in our home. They all got nabbed without a fight. 

I fear something may be wrong with the universe.

Our oldest announced that she enjoys doing yard work. She proudly got out the push lawnmower and tackled about half an acre. The very back half of our yard has an influx of dandelions, so we need to remove those first. The best way to do that without spreading the seeds? FIRE!

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The yard is coming together nicely for the summer months.  We have a beautiful and peaceful location that we enjoy sharing with friends and entertaining.  There’s only a few more things to finish up, like our vegetable garden & my train garden, that will complete our home.


After a hard day’s work we are all really proud of the results.  It’s time to enjoy the birds chirping and the scents of fresh cut grass as we end our day with a BBQ meal.


The sun has finally come out. Time to relax before the heat turns on for the summer. Feel free to drop by this season. Only stipulation is BYOB+1(for me!)