The Exterior

When we were at the design center we found out that we were able to have our first pick of exterior colors. The siding and shingles will be gray. The trim, gutters, front porch rails, and garage door will be white. The front door will be maroon. Because of the porch, the front door is not all that visible from the street. I think a red (or maroon) door is very cheerful. In many cultures it is considered good luck, attracting fortune and love to your house. And it will look very cute with a Christmas wreath on the door. I hope that we are in our new house by Christmas. It is supposed to be finished by then, but only if all goes well…

Of course, even if we do get moved in by Christmas we may not be able to do much decorating. Somehow, I think our little three and a half foot Christmas tree will look less than dramatic in the 27 by 15 foot great room with a cathedral ceiling. I told Derek I thought we needed a tree that was at least eight and a half feet tall, assuming we put it in a corner where the ceiling starts at nine feet. He made a funny face, but I don’t think we will be buying a huge tree any time soon!

I think a gray house will be nice. It looks a little different, since most of the other houses seem to be shades of beige. The white trim will look nice and clean (I already checked, you can clean it by hosing it off.) And it will be a nice backdrop for flowers. The soil is thick clay with solid limestone just a few inches below the surface. So some of our most successful flowers may be in pots, boxes, and hanging baskets. If Derek understood the Homeowners’ Association Agreement correctly (he’s a lawyer and even he had trouble understanding it), we aren’t allowed to have a vegetable garden. Too bad, I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than a ripe tomato, still warm from the sun. I guess that’s why we have the Farmers’ Market.

I did read a nice article in the local paper about what kind of plants do well in our native soil (clay with limestone.) That did give me some hope. Among the suggestions were hostas, day lilies, lilacs, peonies, pansies, and irises. Wouldn’t lavender irises in front of a gray and white house look beautiful in the spring? I like romantic, traditional flowers best. My seven pots of petunias, pansies, violas, and coleus are doing quite well on the porch. But I am a lazy gardener. Luckily, I also like a softer, slightly overgrown look. I have very fond memories of a backyard garden belonging to my grandfather’s sister, Vera, when I was little. The plants were over my head, there were little concrete paths among them, and they were lush and somewhat overgrown.

We are supposed to get six bushes and one tree with our house, but I don’t have high hopes for their survival. We don’t get to choose the variety, either. And we won’t get them until spring, anyway. The same for grass sod for the yard. When I see the rolls of sod, I always think of the sod houses that Kansas settlers had to live in because there were no trees on the prairie. They make our house look luxurious by comparison! I will try to find a picture to post of a sod house. See, I just knew this blog would end up talking about history sooner or later! You aren’t really surprised, are you?

Nebraska sod house, 1901


Derek and Emilie's House, date TBA