Summer is winding down. The temperatures are still warm, yesterday it was in the high 70′s and felt way too warm for my tastes; however, this morning there was a crispness in the air that was so refreshing I wanted to curl up in a blanket and a take a nap on an enclosed porch. The temp today should be around mid-60′s or so but so far it’s only 60 and I am loving the weather! The hints of autumn are upon us.
Photo by Chief Meteorologist Matt Meister at KRDO
Just the other day my favorite local meteorologist, Matt Meister, posted the above photo on Facebook about some special clouds in the area:
Mountain wave lenticular clouds indicating that windspeeds are picking up in the upper atmosphere and summer instability is going down. Both of these are signs of autumn!
I don’t know much about weather, but if the atmosphere is signaling the changing of the seasons then I know I’m not daydreaming that I can say Auf Wiedersehen to summer!
For now I’m enjoying the last of my landscaping in bloom, like the above dwarf fleeceflower. When we planted this ground cover last summer it was a tiny little plant. The plant was maybe the size of my hand, no joke. Now haha now this ground cover has taken off! We are clipping it out of nearby bushes it’s growing so much. I have plans for next spring to remove some nearby plants to give it more room to roam.
To keep some color this autumn I think I’ll purchase some mums and pansies at the store this weekend!
The blue spruce are making little buds and you can even see the fresh green growth on the tips of the needles. Around here pine tree varieties grow like palm trees in Florida. I think pine trees are more my speed. Because really, how ridiculous does a palm tree look “decorated” for the Christmas season? It just doesn’t work for me! But a full forest of pine trees is gorgeous, especially after a fresh snow. When we purchased our home the only thing back there was a badly shaped tree, which we still don’t know what kind it is, and a few aspens. After some landscaping last summer we added the two blue spruce, five more aspen, a variegated maple and a red maple and two pink lilac bushes. We’re hoping one day we’ll live closer to the mountains to enjoy more than two pine trees in our yard and throw in some aspens and maples for good color.
As autumn starts to creep in we’re attempting to complete our outdoor projects before the first snow decides to fall. Sometimes that’s as soon as early-September or late near Halloween in October! Just never know in Colorado when we’ll get some snow. Part of me wonders if the deck we ripped off our house will go up in time before winter sets in. I’m crossing my fingers, otherwise taking Chester out every day will become quite the chore.
Speaking of house projects, the exterior of ours is undergoing a makeover. A much needed makeover! The siding on the north side of our home was shot. Completely donezo. So much so the siding was swelling from moisture, one piece flew off in a wind storm (have no idea where that ended up), the trim was starting to rot in places and a woodpecker decided to put a hole in said rotting trim. <—This is what happens when homeowners do not take care of their residence. Caulking, sealing and painting is very important upkeep on a home! We’re now repairing what the previous owners decided to ignore.
All the good photos of said destruction are on my camera at home and I’ll share those next week. In the mean time, we had the contractor come by and paint two colors samples up on the house along with the white trim color we want. (Forgive me for the following pathetic quality cell phone camera photos)
Both colors are Liquid Vinyl by Kwal Paint and an absolute no in my book for our home. No way. The photo is very dark but in person and in broad daylight the colors are just too much for the house. Jon liked the top color, called Dingo, and the bottom color has too much red/pink undertones (Work Box). Our contractor explained that due to the Colorado climate here he strongly recommended the liquid vinyl as it’s formulated up in Denver and meant for Colorado weather conditions. Well okay then, sounds good to me. Nothing is worse than a bad paint job! We do want a nice, crisp white trim so that’s going to stay.
The contractor we’re using is R & R Kustom Exteriors here in Colorado Springs and so far we’re extremely pleased with them. Great customer service and attention to detail. We found the company on Angie’s List and the $17 for the year we paid to use the website has certainly paid off in our books.
Tuesday morning the guys showed up, got the siding ripped off the north side of the house–said it came down like dominoes that’s how bad it was–and got to work. Various pieces of trim and other boards are being replaced on other sides of the house but the entire north side is getting a new shirt.
Look how pretty that is. All fresh and new. The guys clean up so well you don’t even know they were there. They also run a big magnet around to collect nails and screws so no one steps on them, especially little Chester!
In the end we went with a color called Smoked Trout. I’m itching to see the color up on the house with white trim and white gutters. Plus, the peace of mind knowing all the holes, cracks, and crevices are sealed up and water tight will make me happy.
I cannot wait to show you the finished look!
Any last projects on the list for your home before winter sets in?
This is something we need to do for our house too. Eventually… we keep getting hit with so many other things it keeps moving down on our list. *sigh*
I so wish I could feel Autumn coming closer. Right now I’m still sitting in heat & humidity. I’m craving the Autumn crisp air – PLEASE come soon! :D