The first step in building a new home is finding just the right spot to put your house on.  We have been looking for several years.  Norman and Patty have looked and could not find any spot better than the lot right beside the one she built on 25 years ago.  There are two lots that were vacant one just to the right and one right behind.  Both lots have been vacant since she built here which was nice as it gave her more privacy on her lot but they were not kept up and the pepper trees keep coming over the fence and are an awful sight most of the time.  About ten years ago she tried to buy the one to right but could not find who owned it, then Norman decided to try and buy it when we sold in Tennessee but again could not find the owner.  Finally Patty found the owner and the lot was for sale but he wanted so much for it and none of us felt it was worth that much.  Finally the neighbors complained to the city about the over growth on that lot and how it was effecting them and the owner tried to clean it up some but the lot was so bad he could not do it enough to satisfy the city so decided to sell the lot to Patty for her highest bid, she had gone up on her bid another $5000 and the Sunday before Norman died Patty found out she could buy the lot.

 Tyler had been looking for a place to buy for himself so they decided to look into building on that lot together.  Long story short Patty got the lot, she gave it to Tyler and he will build a house on that lot.  Before he could get the loan approved they had to clear the lot to get the city lien removed so he could build there.  They had wanted to keep some of the pines and have a pine grove for the back yard instead of a lawn but the city said NO all the pines and undergrowth must go so that is what is happening right now.

You can see the nice big pines that are still standing but they too must go..  I guess in a storm the Florida pines have a tendency to snap off about half way up the tree and they do a lot of damage to homes anywhere near them so for the neighbors sake the pines must go.  We can plant safer trees when the house is built.  There is one man who runs the big dozer and he worked all Thursday afternoon until 4:30 Friday afternoon until 3 and then didn’t come Saturday or of course today.  Hopefully he will come and finish it on Monday.  He has done down the middle but he has the two sides and back to finish up. 

This shows you the middle of the lot but all of those pines are on our lot and have to come down.  You can see it is a nice flat lot and it looks big when it is bare.  Tyler has a small house to go on the lot so there will be lot of room around the house my Patty’s and my sewing building and a pagoda.  I will have a room in this new house, Tyler has the master bedroom, I have one of the guest rooms and there is another guest room.  Patty, Becca and the kids will be in her house but when she needs a break from all the noise she will come and use the second guest room or go camping.  I may even go with her some weekends.    It is exciting to watch it come together. 

Norman and I built two houses in our married life and I never got to really watch them being built.  The one in Tennessee I watch more than the one in Peterborough and had a lot more say in what went into it but this one I will be right next door every day and can watch every nail that is driven in.  I won’t have any say in it and don’t want to have to decide what goes into it but it will be fun to watch.  They won’t dare take any short cuts with me watching!!

Today Patty and I worked on the back yard again.  She finished moving the plants she wants to keep in the one flower garden she has left and took out the last of the pineapples in the back.  She has given away many of the lilies bulbs and now has some very pretty purple flowered ornamental grass to give away.  She transplanted a lot of it but it has spread so much she just had to dig up some of it.  The next free week end we have we will do the front gardens, get them weeded well and mulch before the hot weather come.  Have a great day — find something fun to do today.